The newspapers have been full of it in recent weeks: Brexit. It's all still a matter of conjecture, and so far nobody can predict what exactly awaits us.

Your safety is our number one priority. As your partner in the field of safety and well-being at work, we don't want everything to depend on whatever decision might be taken

A number of our suppliers, notified bodies and customers, are located in the United Kingdom.

This is why, we advise you on the impact of a hard Brexit at the end of March, and what actions we have taken to ensure that the delivery of your safety equipment will continue to run smoothly, even if no agreement has been reached.

What are the consequences?

Goods supplied from the UK or through the UK

All goods originating from the UK or passing through the UK, will need to pass through customs.

This will inevitably lead to longer delivery times and potentially additional costs.

Distributor becomes importer

Under the new Regulation, the distributor and importer roles are defined differently.

The main reason of this change is to avert non-certified and unsafe products. The ultimate goal is to safeguard you from these unsafe products.

In the event of a hard Brexit, Vandeputte will assume the role of importer for goods purchased in the UK, as of 30/3/2019.

Validity of certificates from British Notified Bodies

In case of a no deal Brexit, the British notified bodies will no longer maintain the status of a notified body.

But not only that. According to the “notice to stakeholders - withdrawal of the United Kingdom and EU rules in the field of industrial products” drawn up by the European Commission, those certificates already issued will no longer be valid.

What actions have Vandeputte and their suppliers already taken?

Stock increase

To ensure that we can deliver quickly after 30/03, we will systematically increase stock of:

• Stocked items originating from the UK
• Items in reserved stock, of which Great Britain is the country of origin.
• Items certified by a British notified body.

Transfers of certificates

For all proprietary brand products certified by a British notified body, we requested that these be transferred to an office within the EU-27 and/or the possibility that the existing certificates be transferred to a European Notified Body.

In cases where this transferral has not been completed, we accumulate additional stock. This procedure allows us to offer the products to the market in the event of a hard Brexit and to create a transitional period.

Purchases through a sales office in the EU-27

Where possible, we have asked our British suppliers to be supplied by a sales office located within the EU-27.

What can you do?

The best way to avoid long delivery times, is to place your orders well in advance and anticipate possible longer lead times.

Naturally, we want to ensure that you have the requisite goods when needed.

That is why we request that you agree to accept part deliveries of these products, unless this is already the case.