2023 VPI General Meeting

2023 VPI General Meeting

On track for the future!

Upgrading the railway system together

VPI Chairman Malte Lawrenz warns against political misguidance based on the BMDV’s road-fixated "Traffic Forecast 2051"

In front of the 185 representatives of the Wagon Keepers Association VPI in Dresden, Chairman Malte Lawrenz called on politicians today to stick to the priority earmarked for railway expansion in the coalition agreement. Lawrenz highlighted the importance of prioritising the expansion and upgrading of railways for climate-friendly freight transport. "The infrastructure we build today determines the transport mode balance of the future", emphasised Lawrenz. He called on Transport Minister Volker Wissing to work with the industry stakeholders to focus on upgrading the railway system. "We need to make rapid progress on the topics of infrastructure development, digitalisation and automation, if we want to achieve the specified market share target of 25 per cent by 2030", warned Lawrenz. In this context, he lamented the suggestions in the "Traffic Forecast 2051" recently published by the Ministry of Transport. Lawrenz criticises these ideas: "People who consider a 17 per cent market share in 2051 fail to recognise the true potential of the sector, while they’re ignoring the potential to actively shape transport policy."

New membership record and growing range of services

As a service-oriented association, VPI and its subsidiary VERS are continuously expanding their service portfolio to ensure high-quality maintenance, repair and overhaul throughout Europe. Malte Lawrenz reported to members on the steadily growing number of subscribers to the VPI European Maintenance Guide, the core element of the federation’s services. 557 wagon keepers and workshops across Europe are currently using the maintenance recommendations. At the same time, the number of association members rose to a new high of 275 companies, which are represented on the European market with a fleet of around 83,500 wagons.

Change in the VPI advisory board

In addition to the discharge of the chairperson by the General Meeting, the VPI advisory board had co-opted four new members into its body before the session: Florian Schuhmacher (VTG) replaced Sven Wellbrock (VTG); Jörg Nowaczyk (GATX) took over for Johann Feindert (GATX). Both of them want to become more involved in the umbrella organisation UIP in the future. Heinz Deckers (ORV) was elected to replace the retiring Ulrich Swertz (ORV). Bianca Engelhardt (Shell) assumed the position of Jan-Hendrik Redmann (Shell).

23rd TIM with a focus on intermodality

The association invites you to the 23rd Technical Information Meeting (TIM) on the day after the General Meeting. In the morning, the update on developments in the industry organised by the VPI Technical Commission will focus on intermodal transport. The focus in the afternoon will be on practical challenges in the areas of non-destructive testing (NDT), compact brakes and application of the General Contract of Use for Wagons (GCU). In addition to lectures, the TIM will offer the 230 registered participants an expert discussion on both key topics. Just like in previous years, the TIM will present hands-on technology. The compact brake presentation will include a TreadAct Freight compact brake (CFCB) from Knorr SfS. The second exhibit item for the "Intermodal" topic is a hitch for securing trailers on intermodal wagons from MAZ Maschinenbau GmbH.