BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s engineering companies have examined their ties with Britain in recent months and prepared as well as possible for a disorderly British exit from the European Union, their industry association VDMA said on Friday.

In a statement, the association also called for the EU’s remaining members to grant Britain extra time if it needed it in order to avert a so-called “hard Brexit,” where Britain would leave without an exit agreement, potentially causing trade and transport chaos.

“The machine building industry is prepared for all cases,” VDMA chief Thilo Brodtmann said.