During 2020 and the lead up to the end of the BREXIT transition period, The Ashton Group spent time preparing our supply chain in readiness for a range of outcomes.

Many of our customers were asking us what preparations we had made to mitigate any risk to our ability to supply products during this period of uncertainty, so we prepared a document of commonly asked questions and answers.

In the month since the end of the BREXIT transition period we have expanded upon these questions and answers.  Please find these below, if there is anything that we have not covered please let us know.

Can you confirm that you have registered your company with customs to trade internationally and you have an EORI number?
Yes we have an EORI number - GB728055727000

Can you confirm that you can provide appropriate customs paperwork to accompany shipments?
Ashtons are already supplying products Worldwide so this is normal procedure.

Can you confirm that the commercial invoice will include tariff codes for each product?
Yes our invoices will include tariff codes.  

Can you confirm your invoice will include country of origin for the product?
No we do not include this as standard on our invoices but we can provide country of origin, please request this at point of order or contact our sales team who will be happy to help.

Will you use customs agents and can you confirm you have in place logistics partners to manage your deliveries?
Our freight contract is with UPS who manage the process for us and we are in regular communication with them. If you have any questions regarding freight to any areas please contact our sales team.        

What incoterms do you use to supply goods?
We normally supply to EXW (Exworks) terms unless specially requested different and contractually agreed at point of order.

Will there be a brokerage/clearance fee?
Yes this is included in our UPS freight charge.

Do you have a clearly defined intrastat process?
We currently operate a clearly defined intrastat process in accordance with HMRC requirements.

Is your VAT process fully compliant with Brexit guidelines?
Our VAT process is fully compliant with HMRC Brexit guidelines.

Do you have an active deferment account?  
Our deferment account number is 8192198.

Do your products still conform to REACH regulations?
On 22 May 2020, it was formally announced the UK will not be seeking associate membership of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) or participation in the EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (EU REACH) framework. The UK will launch its own, independent chemicals regulatory framework, to be called “UK REACH”. This regime will be based on EU REACH. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), working in partnership with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), will take an equivalent role to that of the ECHA and a new database of registered substances will be created, reliant on a new UK REACH IT system, currently under development.  Our customers will therefore see no change.

Can you advise of any other potential impacts that we need to be aware of that have arisen from your Brexit preparation?
It is Ashtons key objective to ensure that our customers do not experience any interruptions to the supply of our products.

We would urge customers to continue bring forward any purchase orders where possible as a safety factor to allow for any potential delays.

Extend lead times within your IT System to ensure sufficient contingency within your inventory levels.   

Please note that Ashtons will not order extra stock for customers without purchase order commitment as this could cause liability issues at a later date.

We believe that we have taken all measures possible to address known areas of concern and we hope that you find this document helpful. 

Please be assured that we continue to make every effort to mitigate risks and ensure continuity of supply to our valued customers.

If you wish to discuss any more specific details regarding your account or the products that you purchase from Ashtons please do not hesitate to contact our Sales Team. 

Your business is important to us and we assure you of our best attention at all times.