Archived Copies of Warranty Week

December 2002 to Today

Commercial Truck Service Contracts: At roughly one percent of revenue, commercial extended warranties for trucks represent more of a convenience for customers than a major additional source of profits for manufacturers. Still, we know they bring in more than a billion dollars a year just in the U.S., even though only a handful of truck manufacturers report the relevant metrics.
July 26, 2018
Reflections of a Warranty Researcher: One of the world's leading warranty researchers takes a look back at the most recent 35 years of his illustrious career, noting some of the people, places, and publications he's connected with over those decades. But he's not done yet, and he's proposing three additional topics for further research.
December 22, 2016
Extended Warranty Conference Overview: Nashville is once again the destination for the extended warranty industry's annual gathering. But this year, the day-and-a-half conference is supplemented by two additional half-days focused on the sales and marketing of service contracts.
September 22, 2016
Appliance Protection Plans: When it's all counted together, a huge amount of money is being set aside to pay for product repairs. Manufacturers finance their warranties and consumers can purchase additional protection through either service contracts or home warranties. It all adds up to about $6.77 billion spent last year on protection plans.
January 28, 2016
Mobile Phone Insurance Market Shares: The top four wireless carriers in the U.S. collect more than $7.8 billion in protection plan premiums from their customers, and top electronics retailers collect an additional $4.3 billion for mobile phone service contracts. A handful of administration and insurance companies work with them.
November 14, 2013
Warranty Maturity Model: Now that three companies have put themselves through the self-assessment and compared notes, it's time to widen the offer to additional manufacturing companies. Next month, the three companies will present case studies at the WCM Conference in Orlando.
February 9, 2012
New Board Members Sought: As president and co-founder Glen Griffiths steps down, new leadership is sought for the Institute of Warranty Chain Management at its annual meeting on March 15 in San Diego. Two members have put their names in the hat, but additional openings exist.
February 24, 2011
Mark Your Calendars: Both pre- and post-show events now surround the WCM conference in early March, plus there are now additional warranty events to consider attending in February and June.
January 18, 2006
Jetliner Warranties: In the good old days, the airlines and aviation parts manufacturers already swamped by regulatory paperwork had little time for the additional bother of warranty claims. But in an era of falling revenue and rising costs, warranty has suddenly become very important to both operators and their suppliers.
March 2, 2004