Cover that fits
how your operation
runs day to day.
Commercial combined, machinery breakdown, and business interruption structured around your operation. Industrial plant, warehousing, and supply chain cover built to fit.
A standard package
rarely fits
a real operation.
Getting the indemnity period right on business interruption matters. For most manufacturers, sourcing and commissioning replacement specialist plant takes longer than the indemnity period is often set for. Stock valuation needs to move with your production cycle, and if you distribute or supply own-label goods, your product liability needs to be structured to follow your supply chain.
We ask about your shift patterns, your key plant, and your supply chain dependencies. The cover is structured around what we find out, not a standard form.
Eight questions
we’re asked every week.
Plain-English answers. If yours isn’t here, call us on 01455 244630 and we’ll talk it through directly.
A combined policy brings together the main classes your business needs: property, business interruption, employers liability, public liability, and often machinery breakdown. The detail of how each section is structured matters as much as having the cover in place. We build it around your specific operation rather than fitting you into a standard package.
Machinery breakdown covers the sudden and unforeseen failure of plant and machinery. It is a separate class from property insurance, which covers physical damage caused by events like fire or flood. For businesses where a key machine going down would halt production, it is an important part of the programme alongside business interruption cover.
BI is based on gross profit and the indemnity period. For manufacturers, the indemnity period needs to reflect how long it would realistically take to get back to full production, including sourcing and installing replacement specialist plant. That is often longer than the time it takes to rebuild or repair the premises, and an underestimate here is one of the most common gaps we see.
Stock should be insured on a basis that reflects replacement cost. For manufacturers that means raw materials, work in progress, and finished goods can all sit at different values at any point. Seasonally fluctuating stock can be handled with a declaration-linked arrangement. We will make sure the basis of cover is right for how your stock moves.
Yes. If a product you manufacture, supply, or distribute causes injury or property damage, product liability responds. The wording needs to correctly reflect your supply chain. If you are importing goods or supplying own-label products, that affects how the risk is structured and needs to be declared.
Business interruption is typically triggered by damage at your own premises. Cover for failure of a named supplier — sometimes called contingent business interruption — is a separate section. If a single overseas supplier represents a significant dependency, it is worth discussing whether contingent BI should sit within your programme.
Shift patterns affect the risk profile for both property and liability and need to be declared accurately at submission. Working through the night or over weekends is not a problem in itself, but it needs to be on the policy. Undisclosed shift patterns can become an issue at claims stage.
The core structure is similar but the emphasis shifts. For a wholesaler, stock values, product liability for goods you distribute, and the transit of goods between locations all become more prominent. Business interruption needs to reflect your distribution model and your dependency on suppliers and customers. We will structure the programme around what your business does.