As a company based in Northern Ireland, what does the vote to leave the UK mean to your business?

The Brexit vote to leave the EU will have some impact on our business, but it is still very difficult to know exactly what the full effect is likely to be. We currently sell more than 50% of our machinery output to countries outside the EU and the drop in the value of sterling will make our machines a little more attractive in many markets. However, we accept that some of our component costs will increase.

How concerned are you on how it will affect business in terms of sales?

I am not too clear about the impact on our sales, but I believe that any changes in export regulations or tariffs will be more of an inconvenience to us than anything else. There will be changes, but I believe they will not be insurmountable.

Do you think a Brexit will make it harder to trade?

Leaving the EU will make trading a little more difficult for us, we expect, but it might also bring some more opportunities and we will have to take account of both sides of this.

How are you managing the current sterling volatility?

We are having no problems with managing sterling as it is giving some of our customers in euro areas and in other countries more value when buying our machines. The components that we buy from EU areas will probably be a little more expensive in the short term.

How important is it for you that a soft border is put in place between the north and south of Ireland?

It would be very important for us to have a soft border between Northern Ireland and the Republic as we sell about 10% of our production into the Republic. The other important consideration is when we are exporting machines in sealed containers through Dublin Port and that there will be no issue with the sealing of our containers.

How prepared can a business be for potential trade tariffs in the future?

It is difficult to plan for any changes in tariffs at this stage as there is so much unknown in terms of the implications for trading with EU countries. I don’t expect to see any significant trade barriers in place, especially as the UK market is very important for the German motor industry.

How important is the Republic to NC Engineering in terms of business?

About 10% of our production from the factory is sold in the Republic of Ireland. We sell through dealers and this situation will remain unchanged.

Do you think there will be a special deal between Ireland and the UK?

I believe that the Republic of Ireland will negotiate a good deal with the UK following Brexit. The people of Britain and Ireland are intertwined for generations, both in terms of relationships and trade.