Business to Business

Womble Bond Dickinson – news for the Manufacturing Sector in 2022

I am pleased to be able to update you about a few developments for us for 2022 which I hope will benefit PMG members.

New head of Regulatory Team – With effect from the beginning of the year we recruited Kevin Elliott, the national head of Regulatory from Eversheds Sutherland to take over as head of our HSE/regulatory team. Kevin has many years’ of experience supporting industrial clients with health and safety advice and a wide range of other regulatory issues which are central to the support our manufacturing sector team can provide.

Customs Tariff Mitigation – We are continuing to work closely with Barbourne Brook to help clients optimise their supply chains with respect to the costs of moving goods into and out of the UK. Amongst other things, we are exploring how the implementation of Customs Special Procedures may be used to augment the benefits available at Freeport tax (only) sites and also how these may enable operators outside freeport zones to take advantage of some of the customs benefits associated with Freeports. We are also developing case studies to help identify what kind of businesses can benefit most from Freeports.

Energy and Utilities / Energy Transition – In February we will be joined by Stephen Hands following his recent retirement from General Counsel with Sembcorp Utilities UK. Steve has a unique blend of experience in relation to developing and running industrial sites and capital projects associated with the generation, purchase and supply of power and utilities and providing site services. Steve will fit in very well with our existing manufacturing sector team, working with our commercial and construction teams and our energy regulatory team and other specialists in helping our clients to tackle the energy transition and net-zero projects that will be happening in the sector in the next few years. It is somewhat frightening that between Steve and me we will have over 50 years’ experience of supporting industrial clients. How time flies! That being said, there is plenty more still to be done to help deliver the next industrial renaissance for the UK.

Please let me or Craig Moore know if we can do anything to help any of your members in drawing on the work we are doing nationally and internationally with a local focus on Plymouth and the South West.