Speciality Chemicals Magazine NOV / DEC 2021 | Page 50

Holding the chain together

Brexit has been an opportunity as well as a challenge for some logistics providers . Andrew Warmington spoke with Rhenus Logistics

The last two years have been “ Being global , we have capabilities " something of a challenge , with in the customs arena already ,” Brexit and then COVID ,” says Mulligan says , returning to the more Rob Mulligan , UK customs immediate challenges that Brexit has manager at Rhenus Logistics . “ But we thrown up . “ We ’ ve always had markets see Brexit not so much as a hindrance , with different customs regimes . So more as an opportunity to use the skill when we venture out in a post-Brexit sets that we ’ ve got from being global .” world , we ’ re just revisiting what we Mulligan is in as good as a position used to do anyway .” as anyone to talk about the effects of both on the chemical supply chain . Helping with tax Rhenus is a family-owned , global These opportunities arose from logistics provider , headquartered in others opting out of the UK and the Germany where it was established uncertainties arising from a process in 1912 - it takes its name from the where theory and practice are far Latin for the River Rhine and originally from the same thing . “ It ’ s all very brought together a barge operator well for the Government to put out with a terminal operator . It now has businesses in every continent and is active across all transport modalities . The UK operation , which is based in Manchester , dates back to 1936 and became part of Rhenus in 2006 . Following recent acquisitions , it has roughly doubled its size over the past six years . It has five terminals across the UK for the road business feeding into a network of about 80 facilities across Europe , including Russia and the former CIS countries . Although Rhenus transports just about anything , it has a strong base in the chemicals industry , carrying both hazardous and non-hazardous materials . When regulations created a growing need for authorisations , accreditations and training , Mulligan says , many smaller companies dropped out of that market and Rhenus stepped into the breach . the EU-UK trading and cooperation agreement and the border operating models , but that doesn ’ t contain within it any real guidance as to what you actually do . That ’ s where we first started to look at it .” Since 2019 , Rhenus has therefore taken on the role of helping to sort out what importers to and exporters from the UK need to do in terms of tax , VAT , duties and documentation . Of course , Mulligan admits , the company is not unique in that respect – all logistics providers have had to take such matters on board . “ To a vast degree , whilst the government put forward the concepts

50 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981