BIRMINGHAM, England—A race by aerospace giants Rolls-Royce and Airbus to stockpile parts before Brexit is pushing some small suppliers to breaking point.
With just over four months until it leaves, and political bickering continuing, Britain is yet to sign off on its divorce terms with the European Union, forcing companies to prepare for a disorderly exit from the world’s largest trading bloc. Supporting over 120,000 jobs, the UK’s aerospace sector is the second largest in the world and depends on smooth cross-border trade. This makes it vulnerable to any checks and delays that would snarl up supply chains and throw an industry-wide ramp-up to meet surging global demand off course.
