ECG, the Association of European Vehicle Logistics is the platform for the Finished Vehicle Logistics sector in Europe. It has several Working Groups of which the longest-established is the Quality Working Group, where LSPs (Logistics Service Providers), OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and inspection companies work together on various quality-related issues. The group’s main publication is the constantly updated Operations Quality Manual.
ECG’s Quality Working group has identified the loss of loose items as a significant and ongoing problem in the industry. Loose items are all those items that are not fixed or built into the car and which are thus considered loose.
Loss of loose items in the logistics chain can pose a considerable problem from a vehicle inspection or financial point of view. According to data from insurer Tokio Marine, based on more than 3 million units, the recorded percentages of missing items for the period of June-September 2019 were at First Point of Rest (overseas transport): 0.04%; at PDI: 0.046% and at the dealers: 0.08%.
The Quality Working Group did a survey among OEMs on their loose items policy, i.e. whether they opt for a transparent plastic bag or not, whether a list of the loose items is provided or not and where the loose items are placed within the vehicle. The ideal situation would be to have a standardised way of handling loose items in the supply chain. Since this is not the case, having such OEM-specific overview at hand can speed up LSPs’ processes and cut unnecessary and time-consuming searches for loose items, when the time for the inspection of a vehicle is limited.
The table reflects the OEM requirements as in 2017, so companies might have amended their policies since then. In case you spot any mistakes or outdated data, please let ECG know.