Brexit chaos threatens – but Småland jobs are not at risk

The wood products company Vida operates in Kronoberg and around 30 percent of the company's exports go to Great Britain. They are now focusing instead on other markets to reduce their exposure to the UK.

“We are very dependent on how the pound weakens or strengthens in the event of a hard Brexit. So that is something we are watching closely,” says CEO Måns Johansson.

But any Brexit-related workforce cuts are not on the horizon for Vida.

– No jobs are at risk at all, says Måns Johansson.

On the contrary, he believes the company may need to hire more people in the event of a so-called hard Brexit.

– It will mean a lot of management on the Swedish side, so we will see if we need to increase the number of staff.

Many of the companies SVT Nyheter Småland spoke to already export to countries outside the EU and therefore have established procedures for such operations.

Logistical chaos threatens

Henrik Isaksson is Brexit coordinator at Commerzskollegium, the Swedish foreign trade body. He believes a hard Brexit would create logistical chaos with goods stuck at the border. The reason is that many companies are not aware of the rules for exporting across EU borders.

– There is something called an Eori number. It says that you get it from customs and it is absolutely necessary to bring a product across the EU border.

However, according to Henrik Isaksson, many companies trading with Great Britain today have not applied for an Euri number. On the British side, there are figures showing that 75 percent of companies exporting products from the UK to the EU do not yet have an Euri number. Despite intensive information work by the authorities there.

– The information is not getting through. This means that if you, as a Swedish employer, have done your job but your British partner has not, the goods are stuck like hell. This is non-negotiable and will hit bang boom and unconditionally.

In the clip above, Håkan Hjalmarsson, CEO of BE-GE Seating, explains how they are preparing for Brexit.