Nicolás Rodríguez at EMISA

Market insights and engaging networking at the EMISA Annual General Assembly in Galicia, Spain.

This week we had the pleasure of welcoming Nicolás Rodríguez Castro back to our headquarters in Hampshire.  A native Spaniard and fluent speaker of another four languages, Nicolás is the SLX Group Business Representative supporting customers in the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America and has been successfully working with us for several years.

In an intensive day of meetings with our Board of Directors Nicolás shared many useful insights and updates about the maritime market in the areas he supports.  Trying to make the most of the time we could spend with him, we enjoyed exchanging a few relaxed conversations and having a nice meal in a local pub.

Nicolás recently attended the annual EMISA General Assembly near his hometown in Galicia as the SLX Group representative.  The EMISA Business Association is a non-profit-making organisation representing the interests of independent manufacturers, suppliers and service providers operating in the marine engines and related equipment markets.

SLX Group has been a member of the EMISA Business Association for over a decade.  Former Chairman James Hogg used to provide legal advice to the association and we, as SLX Group, are proud to continue being an engaged member to this day.

The key topics covered during the event were:

• IMO reference numbers,
• role of classification societies and requirements of Type Approval from OEMs,
• digitalisation and the effects it has on free and fair competition,
• “right to repair” for marine and other industrial equipment.

With the fundamental purpose of promoting “free and fair competition in the supply chain for existing marine equipment including all aspects of service and maintenance work”, the association helps to maintain and improve service standards alongside developing innovative technologies.

We have always thought of EMISA as a union that makes its members stronger because they work together in an industry where gargantuan powers are at play.  As the Germans so aptly define it in the word gestalt, an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts, EMISA reaches levels of conversation with key organisations, such as the IMO and RINA, that are out of reach for an independent supplier.

This year’s event was hosted by NAVALCO SL and included visits around the verdant Galician region. 

It has been great to share engaging discussions in the friendly atmosphere provided by the association.  We can highly recommend joining EMISA to work together towards a stronger voice within the marine engine market.

We are looking forward to the next meeting in 2026!