BMW warns of ‘piecemeal’ Brexit delays
BMW has warned of the impact of “piecemeal delays” to Brexit on its business, which it says would be likely to trigger further uncertainty for its plants in the UK.
“A piecemeal postponed start date would not be a good scenario for us,” said purchasing director Andreas Wendt in the business newspaper Automobilwoche.
Wendt gave the interview just hours before Theresa May revealed her latest Brexit approach on plans to hold two votes, on a no-deal Brexit and a delay.
But Wendt said that a “no-deal Brexit” would “adversely affect” its business.
Nervousness about the impact of a no-deal Brexit caused BMW to schedule its annual shutdown of its Mini factory in Oxford for April 1 – immediately after the UK is scheduled to leave the European Union.
It said it took the decision “to minimise the risk of any possible short-term parts-supply disruption” should no deal be in place.
Its engine plant at Hams Hall is currently unaffected while the automotive manufacturer assesses the most appropriate time to schedule a shutdown for its West Midlands site.
BMW’s decision last year created a lot of noise – fuelled by Jaguar Land Rover’s two pronouncements about the risk to thousands of jobs of a bad Brexit and its decision to implement a three-day week at Castle Bromwich – although much of the commentary overlooked that it has an annual shutdown for maintenance.
