ECG — 2026-02-03
News from ECG
Every year, ECG Academy Alumni come together to network and exchange updates on the latest trends in the FVL industry. This year, the meeting that took place in Barcelona on 29-30 January, gathered almost 120 alumni. Since the start of the ECG Academy, its alumni network has grown to 426 members.
ECG - The Association of European Vehicle Logistics offers a high-level education portfolio, with the ECG Academy course being the most renowned. The latest module of the Course 19 was held in Barcelona, concluding with the ECG Academy Alumni meeting, where students had the chance to hear from the high-level experts, along with the alumni, and to present their group projects on the stage.
The meeting started with a networking dinner, allowing the alumni to connect with colleagues in the industry. The following day’s programme kicked off with Marc Adriansens from ICO Terminals, ECG Board Member, welcoming the alumni on behalf of the ECG Board. He emphasised the importance of education and connection. Frank Schnelle, Executive Director of ECG, presented ECG's planned activities for 2026.
Andreea Popa, Head of Department Process and Digital, Renault Group, representing the ECG Academy Advisory Group (EAAG) continued by presenting EAAG’s activities and outlook for 2026. She highlighted the record number of attendance. “Today, present record is not just a number, it´s a confirmation that this community is strong, alive and ready for more, and we are here because networking matters and because together we can influence the future of the FVL sector”
Two members of EAAG 2024-2026 stepped down: Ceren Eker Güven, Ant Lojistik, and Andreea Maria Serbu, ECG. Six candidates were elected to join the group during the elections: Anthony Boungou-Boko, Glovis Europe; Inaki Erruz, Tradista; Kirsti Gjertsen, Port of Antwerp-Bruges; Artur Gowin, CMPL; Panagiota Sdoukou, ECG and Sotiris Spanos, Neptune Lines.
Artur Gowin, Business Development Manager at CMPL, discussed the continuously growing presence of Chinese automotive brands in the European Market. As he highlighted, in Poland alone, 26 Chinese brands are sold. The new brands bring to the Europe not only new cars but also new production and new supply chains. He also stated the importance of sharing knowledge and best practises with the new players.
Keynote speaker, Christian Fuss, Managing Director of ProAct, presented how technology could improve industry efficiency. He emphasised that the industry’s complexity and the increasing number of regulations dictate smart solutions to maximise efficiency.
During the day, the alumni presented their progress in the Project Labs on the topics of global changes, cybersecurity, regulations, charging network, labour shortages, artificial intelligence, and smart communications.
The event closed with an interesting expert panel discussion moderated by the alumnus Inaki Erruz, Commercial Director Iberia, Tradisa and participants Kirsti Gjertsen, Segment Manager Automotive, Port of Antwerp-Bruges; Tobias Götz, General Manager, Supply Chain Operations North & Central Europe, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions; Christian Fuss, ProAct; and Neringa Jasiulioniene, Director FVL, Manvesta, and a board member of ECG.
Under the theme ’Driving efficiency: How technology is transforming operations in Finished Vehicle Logistics’ participates discussed topics such as slot booking in compounds - whether this technique helps or just moves bottlenecks from one place to another- the use of AI for damage recognition - decreasing the number of claims - and the challenges with eCMR. The panel also discussed increasing port efficiency, the use of a neutral company to manage data systems, which means the port never becomes the owner of any data, and what to expect in the future.
Panagiota Sdoukou, Communications & Events Manager at ECG and moderator of the ECG Academy Alumni Meeting 2026, closed the event with thanks to the speakers, attendees and sponsor, Port of Barcelona, while renewing the invitation to meet again next year.