Archived Copies of Warranty Week

December 2002 to Today

U.S. Commercial Vehicle Makers: The warranty expense data in their latest financial reports suggest that the top U.S.-based truck, bus, construction equipment, and agricultural vehicle makers are doing just fine, with relatively stable amounts of claims and accruals, after several reported noticeable expense spikes in previous years.
December 19, 2019
WCM Pre-Conference Workshops:  Warranty professionals heading to Orlando for the 15th annual Warranty Chain Management Conference could arrive a day early to attend any of six different workshops on topics such as fraud detection, claims handling, customer satisfaction, and how to launch or expand a commercial or consumer service contract program.
February 21, 2019
B2B Service Contract Conference: Last year, a commercial service contract trade association was launched at the Nashville conference. This year, two half-day programs have been added to the main conference to delve into topics related to how commercial service contracts are priced, configured, and sold to businesses.
September 27, 2018
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
Extended Protection Plans:
Breaking Down Risk Management Options: Service contracts sold by dealers or manufacturers to buyers of commercial products such as construction equipment can increase resale value, raise customer loyalty, boost uptime, and lower operating costs. But before extended protection plan sales can begin, the advantages and disadvantages of various risk management options must be considered.
June 7, 2018
Aerospace Warranty Report: Unlike the automotive industry, the manufacturers of commercial airplanes do not have higher warranty expenses than their suppliers, and do not spend a larger percentage of their sales revenue on warranty claims. But just like those land-based vehicle makers, airplane and helicopter manufacturers have been cutting their warranty costs for more than a decade.
April 26, 2018
Commercial Service Contracts, Part 2: Though the terms extended warranty and service contract are used interchangeably, in a commercial setting a service contract can mean much more than an insurance-like agreement. It can include maintenance and product support, with a focus on response time and cost, and may have only incidental ties to the repair of defects or malfunctions.
January 18, 2018
Commercial Service Contract Association: Industry leaders have launched a new trade association for commercial service contracts, with the inaugural meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning. But unlike with product warranties, extended warranties, and protection plans aimed at the buyers of consumer goods, the boundaries of the commercial service contract industry are not as sharply defined.
January 11, 2018
Aviation Warranty Association: Commercial airline warranty managers met in Chicago to discuss issues with plane and parts manufacturers. Also, some tips on home warranty regulations, and links to a guide to how each U.S. state oversees consumer service contract companies operating within its borders.
December 14, 2017
Commercial Service Contracts, Part 1: The importance of extended warranties sold to commercial customers is steadily increasing, as measured by the percentage of revenue they represent for manufacturers, and by the amount of business they represent for insurance companies. And in response, industry leaders have launched a new trade association for commercial service contracts.
December 7, 2017
Extended Warranty Software: Unlike most other solutions, which are designed to integrate with passenger car dealer management systems or retail point of sale software, the new Mize offering is aimed at manufacturers engaged in the business-to-business sale of commercial service contracts.
September 14, 2017
Civilian Aircraft Warranties: The manufacturers of large commercial airliners seem to have lower warranty expense rates than the companies making smaller business jets or regional jets. Is that because their products are built better or is it a function of how most aircraft warranties are provided to customers in sections?
June 15, 2017
Food Service Equipment Warranties: The commercial appliances used in restaurants cost more to buy but less to keep in good working order. Over the past 10 years, the average warranty expense rates for professional food service equipment has been less than half as much as for home kitchen appliances.
June 13, 2013
Aerospace Warranty Trends: Unlike the computer and passenger car industries, in the commercial aviation industry the customer-facing brand names and their suppliers share warranty costs much more equitably. Then again, these multi-million-dollar jets and helicopters are hardly consumer products. And since safety and reliability are such top priorities, consistently low warranty costs are to be expected.
April 9, 2009