Mike Sturgeon, previous executive director of the Association of European Vehicle Logistics (ECG), is retiring after almost 15 years at the organisation, having passed the reins over to Frank Schnelle. Sturgeon spoke to Automotive Logistics about his time at ECG, his proudest achievements, and what’s next for the industry veteran.
Since Mike Sturgeon, previous executive director of ECG, joined the association in 2010, its membership has tripled and the landscape of the automotive logistics industry in Europe has changed drastically. With 35 years’ experience in the automotive sector, including 16 years with Toyota and many roles at LSPs, Sturgeon is ready to hang up his hat at ECG – although he won’t find it easy to leave logistics behind completely.
Evolving trends in European automotive logistics
He told Automotive Logistics about some of the changes he’s seen in the automotive logistics industry in his time. “We’ve seen an extraordinary time in the last couple of years, haven’t we, where the OEMs were making exceptional profits. The pressure came off, and not everything was about cost, cost, cost, and there was a period where the carriers made some money,” he said.
Read more: ECG leadership reveals a mixed picture for vehicle logistics capacity in Europe
“Now it’s getting much tighter again, and more quickly than I’ve ever seen it happen before. The pressure has come back on as margins are falling at the OEMs. We’re seeing this incredible change and I think there’s going to be a lot of pressure on the industry.”
Legislative push for European FVL load factor reforms
Automotive Logistics previously spoke to Sturgeon last year about the push by ECG to extend the length of loaded trucks used in FVL, which would allow more vehicles to move more efficiently across the continent. ECG has been campaigning for this for more than two decades, with Sturgeon at the forefront for most of it. The recent European parliament elections caused the proposal to halt, yet again, but Sturgeon is hopeful it will rise up in the priority list again next year.
Sturgeon said: “I think it’s a question of when, not if, we see the weights and dimensions legislation come through. When it does, then we will get our harmonisation that we’ve been pushing for for so long, which will be fantastic.”
Read more: European Commission proposes longer loaded truck length for vehicle logistics
Although, he adds: “On a personal level, I am disappointed, because I really hoped this would be done before I retire. But it’s not, and it’s still on the table, so everything is crossed that we finally get it over the line.”
Mike Sturgeon’s key achievements at ECG
Reflecting on his time at the association, Sturgeon said his proudest achievement is developing ECG further.
“Our mission statement is to be a platform for the vehicle logistics industry in Europe. And when I joined, we were at the end of the financial crisis and we had lost members,” he said. “When I leave at the end of February, it will be exactly 15 years almost to the day since I joined. But in that time, we’ve tripled the membership and we’ve got a lot more partner companies involved. You can’t represent an industry effectively unless most of the industry is on board. And I think we can say that now, almost every significant player in Europe is a member , and we really do represent the industry. For me, that’s the most important thing.”
Looking ahead, Sturgeon said that despite his retirement he expects to continue to have some involvement with ECG and the automotive logistics industry.
“I like the industry, it’s always fascinating and there’s always a new challenge, and there are some great people in this industry,” he said. “It would be nice to stay involved in some way for a while, but ECG needs a new pair of hands and a new approach to things. There’s a bright future for the association.”
No comments yet