Gateway2Britain: one stop shop for SMEs trading with UK

VIL is launching the Gateway2Britain quality label for logistics service providers to give SMEs maximum support with their import and export processes with the UK. Thanks to Gateway2Britain, trading with the UK becomes 'a piece of cake'. In the presence of Flemish Minister of Economy, Innovation and Agriculture, Jo Brouns, the first four logistics service providers received their Gateway2Britain certificate.

In the first quarter of 2021, Flemish companies suffered 6% sales losses on the UK and costs increased by 5%. The affected sectors are very diverse: 18% food, 13% logistics, 12% textiles, clothing and footwear, 9% chemical and pharmaceutical industries, 7% wholesale trade, 6% machinery and electrical equipment and 4% construction. 71% of these firms are also small and medium-sized enterprises.

The logistics process has become much more complex since the Brexit. All kinds of documents, data and certificates are required for border controls, leading to higher administrative and logistical costs (customs formalities, import duties, additional regulatory obligations).

Cry for help from SMEs

SMEs have been particularly affected. These companies have little knowledge about the changing regulations and not enough staff to take on the extra red tape. They also have difficulty finding carriers willing to take their small volumes or irregular shipments to the UK.

One of the pillars of the Gateway2Britain project, which is financially supported by the European Union, is therefore the establishment of physical service points to unburden SMEs.

"The economic impact of the Brexit is indeed not tender. But in Flanders, we are not leaving our SMEs out in the cold. With VIL's new Gateway2Britain quality label, Flemish SME companies can now quickly and easily find a logistics service provider that will take the maximum out of their worries when it comes to transporting their shipments to the UK. With the launch of the quality label, the first pillar of the Gateway2Britain project is being realized. As a result, export and import volumes will recover and increase in the future," said Jo Brouns, Flemish Minister of Employment, Economy, Innovation and Agriculture.

Maximum unburdening

Logistics service providers receiving the quality label have the necessary expertise and experience in the import and export processes with the UK, offer transparent price quotes and guarantee to run the whole process efficiently. The quality label creates a win- win situation for SME companies and for the service providers: SMEs can maximize their focus on their core business and service providers can increase their volumes and maximize their efficiency by consolidating the smaller volumes of the SMEs.

Certified logistics service providers

Four logistics service providers received the first-ever Gateway2Britain certificates on Dec. 4: Corneel Geerts, Deny Logistics, Mainfreight and Ziegler.

"The course for achieving Gateway2Britain certification has strengthened our belief that with our long-standing knowledge and know-how, we are the contact partner of choice to handle shipments to and from the UK in complete confidence. Whether it's one pallet or a full load, daily shipments or one-off shipments, we can take care of SMEs from A to Z, every day," says Bertrand Deny, Director of Deny Logistics.

On the Gateway2Britain website (www.gateway2britain.be), SMEs can quickly find a certified logistics service provider who can help them further. Logistics service providers who want to obtain the certificate can also go there to submit an application.