Pavel Štula: ECM Is Not About Preparing for an Audit. It Is Everyday Work

September 2026

Nearly 40 years on the railway, with experience in operations, dispatch, forwarding and wagon maintenance, and now a new chapter at Cargo Wagon. Pavel Štula joins the company as ECM Manager. We spoke with him about what brought him to Cargo Wagon, why he wants to retain an outsider’s perspective for as long as possible, and what he plans to focus on in his new role.

You have spent practically your entire working life in the railway sector. How did your journey begin?

Originally, I had no plans at all to pursue a career in rail. At the age of fifteen, I wanted to study chemistry, but I eventually went into engineering and, after completing my military service, joined Vítkovice Ironworks. I started as a handling worker involved in wagon loading, later managed dispatch operations, worked in freight forwarding and gradually moved into wagon maintenance. Since then, practically my entire professional life has been connected with the railway.

After almost four decades in the railway sector, how did you come to join Cargo Wagon?

Following an organisational change, I left my previous job, and Pavel Holomek contacted me with an offer to meet. I had known Cargo Wagon for quite some time and also knew several people in the company, so I had a fairly good idea of the environment I was joining.

The opportunity came at the right moment for me personally, too. My wife is from Trnava, we live in Smolenice, and commuting long-term between Slovakia and Ostrava had become demanding. This offer allowed me to continue working in the railway sector while also being closer to my family.

What has stood out to you during your first few months at Cargo Wagon?

The company’s processes are very well described and established. Together with Marek Fodor and the technicians, I also had the opportunity to take part in several wagon acceptance inspections at repair workshops and see how the entire system works in practice.

For me, it is important that what is stated in the documentation reflects the actual condition of the wagon. In the railway sector, you can also encounter situations where the report says one thing while the reality is different.

At the same time, I want to retain the perspective of an outsider for as long as possible. I have never liked the phrase, “we have always done it this way”. I would rather ask why something is done in a particular way, whether it still makes sense and whether it could be done better.

What does ECM mean to you personally?

In my view, ECM is not about spending 14 days preparing for an audit and then waiting for the next one. It is everyday work. Many of the activities we carry out every day are part of ECM, even if we may not always realise it.

What matters is not only the documentation, but also how the work itself is carried out and how people communicate with one another. That is also why I value visits to repair workshops and personal contact. A phone call or a direct conversation with someone is often a greater source of experience and information for me than a long email exchange.

What do you want to focus on in the near future?

One of the main areas will be wheelset records. From a safety perspective, wheelsets are among the most important parts of a wagon, so proper record-keeping and maintenance are essential. We will also focus on reviewing some internal guidelines and on the further development of ECM processes.

The second important area will be to gradually expand, together with our Customer Services team, the network of certified repair workshops providing both routine and unplanned maintenance for our wagons.

What would you like customers to associate with Cargo Wagon maintenance a few years from now?

Simply put: a wagon that works. I want the customer to know that the wagon has been repaired in accordance with the regulations and that what is stated on paper genuinely reflects reality.

After almost 40 years on the railway, I am glad to have been given this opportunity. And I hope that when I eventually leave, there will be something at Cargo Wagon that I helped put in place and that will continue to work afterwards.