EPS confronting Brexit challenges & developing export offering

The threats arising from Brexit and the opportunities in global export came into sharp focus at the recent International Markets Week held in the RDS in Dublin and hosted by Enterprise Ireland. As a long-established client company of Enterprise Ireland, EPS were pleased to attend and support the event.

In her keynote address to the business leaders in attendance, Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald repeated the Irish government’s commitment to respond strongly to the effects of Brexit, by supporting companies with their planning and contingency measures, by safeguarding inward and outward investment and by promoting Irish exports globally. Launching the “Irish Advantage” global export initiative, Enterprise Ireland CEO Julie Sinnamon re-iterated the value of Ireland’s special trading relationship with the UK but also encouraged exporters to diversify into other markets to spread risk and grow.

With an established and rapidly expanded UK business, EPS is actively assessing the potential risks of Brexit and is formulating contingency plans to manage any impacts that may arise, especially in the areas of logistics, tariffs and currency. Thanks in part to the workshops and consultations on offer at International Markets Week and the Enterprise Ireland “Brexit Scorecard” tool, EPS will continue this mitigation process in an informed and structured manner to ensure that competitiveness is maintained and enhanced for our UK client base.

The event also enabled EPS to consult freely with EI Market Advisors based in our existing and prospective export markets, and to network with like-mind Irish exporters facing similar challenges and opportunities.

Events like this are incredibly valuable to EPS and our fellow exporters. The strategic and practical support offered by Enterprise Ireland, combined with the local intelligence and advice of their Market Advisors, provides us with a clear competitive advantage as we strive to enter new export markets. It ensures that we’re able to assess and understand new territories before entering and to tailor our offering and messaging to suit specific market needs and drivers. The value of this is evidenced in the recent export successes of EPS in the Middle East, West Africa and North America. We have also come away with greater confidence in our on-going management of the Brexit process.