Seminar shares expertise and advice with local companies

DESPITE considerable concerns in the business community over Brexit and changes in political outlook both home and abroad, exporters have “nothing to be afraid of” when it comes to overseas markets, according to a leading local freight consultant.

Liam Davis operates WPD Freight Management in Rathcoole, and has over 40 years of logistics experience in helping companies import and export all over the world.

He was one of the keynote speakers at an exporting seminar in the Red Cow Moran Hotel on Monday.

The event was organised by South Dublin Chamber and South Dublin County Council as part of Local Enterprise Week, to share expertise and advice with over 30 local companies who attended.

A recent business survey carried out by SDCC and the Chamber revealed 90 per cent of the respondents were active exporters.

Legal requirements, understanding documents and language barriers were all cited as key challenges facing local businesses, most of which can be attributed to a “simple misunderstanding”, according to Davis.

Liam said: “My role (at the seminar) was in explaining the relationship between the exporter, the freight forwarder and the buyer to achieve best results.”

Davis is a big advocate in “keeping it simple”, providing onsite consultancy and handling of day-to-day operations for customers across several time zones, to ensure a smooth transition in areas such as documentation and licensing.

He continued: “Basically you want to find out what you want to do before you actually do it. It is best for the seller and buyer to talk to each other, work out costs, and talk with your freight forwarder before exporting.”

Brexit has thrown a lot of uncertainty in the air but Davis feels additional costs and paperwork are “inevitable.”

As a member of the Irish International Freight Association, he says authorities have to prepare for “Brexit or a hard border.”

“It is no use waiting for someone else to do something, we need to be proactive and have a plan in place,” he said.

  Other speakers at the event included, Simon McKeever (CEO of the Irish Exporters Association), Conor McGreevy (Treasury Manager at Bank of Ireland Global Markets), Andrea Carroll (Sustainable Business Programme Manager at South Dublin Chamber), and Colm Ward (Head of LEO South Dublin).