VPI chairperson Malte Lawrenz re-appointed

General Meeting extends tenure by another three years

The delegates of the digital General Meeting of the Verband der Güterwagenhalter in Deutschland e.V. today unanimously voted to retain Malte Lawrenz as chairperson for another three years. “I am pleased to lead the association during a time in which the sector is receiving strong political support from all sides. We will continue to work with dedication to bring innovation and efficiency to the rail sector,” Malte Lawrenz told the delegates. Lawrenz stated that the current focus lies on pushing hard to advance projects such as digital automatic coupling. However, the association also wishes to move forward with the digitalisation of maintenance work throughout Europe with service offerings such as the VPI European Maintenance Guide and its module on data interchange between wagon keepers and workshops. “Political lobbying and good services for our member companies will remain the two pillars of our association in the future,” underscored Lawrenz.

The 16 members of the Advisory Forum of VPI were also up for election by the General Meeting. Jürgen Hüllen, formerly of VTG AG and now active as a consultant, has rotated out of the forum. The delegates subsequently confirmed the current composition of the Advisory Forum, which now consists of 15 members plus five permanent guests. This marks the end of Hüllen’s 20 years of activity at VPI, where he also held the office of chairperson from 2003 to 2012. During this time, he made key contributions to the development of the association. His time as chairperson included the establishment and development of the VPI Maintenance Guide, which has become the European standard for high-quality maintenance. Hüllen will continue to be active in the Railway Traffic Technical Innovation Committee (TIS), the practice group of the sector.