BMW warns of UK exit if Brexit hurts supply chain
BMW has said it will be forced to close its production sites in the UK, putting 8,000 jobs at risk, if Brexit means its supply chain is disrupted.
The customs manager of the German carmaker’s UK operations said its manufacturing set-up would not be able to cope with obstructions to its supply chain.
“We always said we can do our best and prepare everything, but if, at the end of the day the supply chain will have a stop at the border, then we cannot produce our products in the UK,” Stephan Freismuth told the Financial Times.
BMW employs 8,000 people in the UK, including hundreds at its Hams Hall engine plant in Coleshill while it has 4,500 people at its plant in Cowley, Oxford, where it produces the Mini.
The BMW warning comes ahead of of a key motor manufacturing industry conference where a series of automotive executives from companies with major UK manufacturing operations are expected to express serious concerns about the future of their businesses.
A BMW spokesman said: “We have invested significantly in the UK and we are committed to our manufacturing facilities here.
“On the other hand, Brexit does represent a significant challenge. It is one we are determined to face.”
The news comes days after planemaker Airbus, which employs 14,000 staff in Britain, released a risk assessment warning it would “reconsider its investments in the UK, and its long-term footprint in the country” if Britain left the single market and customs union without a transition agreement.
