Oh for some clarity. I’m sure ¾ of the discussions we’re having today mention Brexit and scenarios, expressed with growing impatience. Strategic plans to move to S4/HANA, improve business processes, add new functionality, move more to the cloud – they’re all being constrained by not being sure what Brexit will end up looking like.
A survey from the Institute of Directors just published highlights the turmoil we are all having to plough through, headlining that nearly 1/3rd of its members feel they could be forced to shift operations abroad due to Brexit. For key stakeholders in an organisation’s use of SAP, this simply adds to the list of possible impacts that need to be thought through – and soon – in order to be able to move fast when needed. Currently it is the number 1 request we are getting – usually voiced as “Can you help me get ready for Brexit when we don’t even know what the outcome looks like?” – and the reason we have created an effective packaged service to tackle this https://edsonconsulting.com/packaged-services/brexit-readiness-assessment-for-sap/
The IoD press release contains a hard-line warning from the recently appointed Interim Director General of the Institute, Edwin Morgan “….we can no more ignore the real consequences of delay and confusion than business leaders can ignore the hard choices that they face in protecting their companies.”
Some of the survey results may reflect the high levels of frustration in the business community but it’s clear that whatever the outcome, the impact is looking significant.
- 34% of those selling goods only are considering relocating or have done so already. This figure is lower (27%) for those selling services only, but around the same (33%) for those selling both goods and services. Financial services are particularly likely to have already activated contingency plans to relocate.
- 64% of IoD members export to the EU, while 51% import from the bloc for business purposes (trading in either goods or services). Both these groups are more likely to be looking at relocating – 40% of exporters, and 39% of importers.
- 40% of IoD members are engaged with Brexit contingency planning generally (activated, drawn up or intending to make plans). 42% of these are looking into relocating (just under half of whom have already moved operations).
The full press release is at https://www.iod.com/news-campaigns/press-office/details/Nearly-a-third-of-firms-looking-overseas-due-to-Brexit