100 Acquisition International - Global Excellence 2021 Acquisition International - Issue 6 2021 15 Company: Strong & Herd LLP Name: Sandra Strong Email: sandras@ strongandherd.co.uk Web Address: www.strongandherd.co.uk Tremendous Trade Consultants Secure Success K business thrives on trade with other countries, but the specific arrangements of each is not always easy to decipher. That’s where firms like Strong & Herd come in. They have been focused on these challenges to industry since 1995, and what they don’t know isn’t worth knowing. The team support UK businesses in the areas of international trade and customs compliance, enhancing skillsets across the board. More than just a service, the team act as partners in a complex field making the complicated as simple as possible to take action on. Quick queries can be handled on the phone, with regular updates on legislation emailed directly to clients when it occurs. For those cases which are really difficult, the team are happy to arrange a one-to-one session which covers key areas, backed up by both public training in over 40 areas of customs, international trade and export development topics. This is highly customised to meet the specific needs of a client. The skill that the team has on offer allows them to provide for a broad client base, ranging from multinationals to micro-businesses. Companies of all backgrounds including foodstuffs, retail, chemicals, industrial manufacturing, supply chain specialists, freight companies, military and defence industry, textiles and clothing turn to Strong and Herd for their invaluable and highly regarded support. The success of Strong & Herd is what draws such a variety of businesses to it. Needless to say, many new customers come to them because of word of mouth from other clients, DIT & Chambers of Commerce international trade advisors as well as trade associations such as the British Exporters Association (BExA). The team actually represent BExA at government meetings related to international trade because they are held in such high regard. This insight into the heart of government gives the team an edge over potential competitors as they can hear about new legislation changes and export market opportunities in advance, asking specific questions if required. The last eighteen months have been particularly challenging for the team at Strong & Herd, mainly because of the impact of both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a business that previously relied upon face to face training, consultancy sessions and site visits/ audits but with lockdown that ended. Virtual meetings and e-learning was quickly put into place, with a team that had to adapt quickly to working from home in an difficult new environment. Fortunately, the team were able to thrive in spite of this and the new virtual trading U platform has been an extraordinary success that will continue beyond the end of the pandemic. While the impact of COVID-19 has swept across every industry, it has masked the difficulties of adapting to a new trading relationship between the UK and the EU. While the UK left the trading bloc in 2020, the full implementation of full customs regulations is being introduced in stages. The team at Strong & Herd will continue to provide vital training to support current and future clients, as they anticipate a new surge of requirements to support companies as well as further need to increase the capacity for customs brokers. What the team at Strong & Herd offer their clients is more than just technical help. Their work is a vital part of the trading infrastructure built up in the UK. They take an active role in ensuring that trade happens in as smooth a way as possible, leveraging years of knowledge and experience. That’s why they have been proud to achieve such high levels of success within the industry. International trade plays an enormous role in any globalised economy, and the challenges of changing these systems can be seen through the UK’s reaction to Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. Guiding firms through this difficult time has been the team at Strong & Herd LLP. Named Best Specialist International Trade Consultancy 2021 – UK in Acquisition International’s Global Excellence Awards, we took a closer look to find out more. Apr21157
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