ECG — 2025-02-25
News from ECG
“Improving efficiency has the highest priority for our sector and ECG is ready to support its members and the OEMs.” President Wolfgang Göbel opened the ECG Academy Alumni Meeting in Barcelona by highlighting the recent developments in the industry and promoting effectiveness to address potential adverse effects caused by volatility.
The annual the ECG Academy Alumni Meeting was held in Barcelona on 20-21 February. It included a dinner and a half day of keynotes with around 100 attendees among which alumni of the ECG Academy from the past twenty years and participants from the current course.
Wolfgang Göbel, President of ECG, delivered the welcoming speech and reflected on the importance of efficiency in the industry. In recent years, the industry has experienced volatility that has affected logistics providers. The industry must utilize available resources as efficiently as possible to avoid creating new capacity shortages in the coming years when the volume returns. According to the current automotive forecast, the volume is expected to remain relatively flat over the next few years, a reality that all member companies will be confronted with.
Filippo Rizzi Ariani, Chairman of the EAAG (ECG Academy Advisory Group), and Andreea Maria Serbu, Senior Manager of External Affairs at ECG, presented updates on EAAG’s activities and shared insights about ECG’s Roadmap 2025.
The event was both a success and an informative experience, fulfilling its role as a networking and educational platform for ECG Academy alumni, as noted by Andreea Serbu.
The current course 18 participants of the ECG Academy are working on their “Project Lab” ideas. This year’s projects focused on sustainability and AI and students had the chance to present in short elevator pitches. This is one of the key modules of the ECG Academy, where students look at current challenges and work on potential solutions for the sector.
Laura Buitrago, Logistics Planner at Toyota Motor Europe and past winner of the Giovanni Paci Award (given to the year’s top student on the ECG Academy) presented on effective communication in an intercultural environment. Another winner of the Giovanni Paci Award, Sotirios Spanos, a Commercial Operator at Neptune Lines, addressed the current status of the Suez Canal and the prolonged transportation route vessels must take impacting business.
Namrita Chow, ECG Business Analyst, provided insights about the latest numbers of vehicle exports from China. China aims to export 7 mn new vehicles in 2025, to markets across the globe, up from the 5.8 mn units exported in 2024.
The panel debate concluding the meeting focused on the role of Chinese manufacturers in shaping the future of the Finished Vehicle Logistics supply chain. It was moderated by Tobias Götz, General Manager of Supply Chain Operations at Wallenius Wilhelmsen, and included representatives from DB Cargo Logistics, the Piraeus Port Authority, the Port of Barcelona, and Hödlmayr International. One topic discussed was the importance of encouraging new players, such as emerging Chinese manufacturers, to adhere to established standards in Europe. This Alumni Meeting was supported by ECG Member Suardiaz Group and represented by its Managing Director, Marcos Duato.