Warranty Week Industry Headlines

Solar Equipment Warranty Expense Rates: It's a bit of an actuarial nightmare. Relatively young companies in new and unproven industries issue very long warranties for which multiple years or even decades can pass before claims arise in volume. But eventually, products mature and claims exceed accruals, and reserves begin to deplete. Then the actuaries break the bad news: it's time to raise rates.
August 30, 2018

Automotive OEM Warranty Report: The car manufacturers used to spend a greater share of their sales revenue on warranty work than the truck manufacturers did. But because of persistent cost-cutting, that is no longer the case. Last year, car manufacturers cut their expense rates to below-average levels, while the truck manufacturers were slightly above their long-term average at the end of 2017.
April 5, 2018

Automotive Warranty Expense Report: While the individual manufacturers see their claims, accrual, and sales totals change up and down from year to year, some long-term trends are also evident. The carmakers are cutting costs the most and the longest, while the powertrain manufacturers are falling behind other types of suppliers.
March 30, 2017

Service Contract Pricing: Appliances: While the typical appliance service contract costs roughly 14% to 16% of the price of the product it protects, there is an enormous amount of variation, depending on which administrator the retailer works with, how long the contract lasts, and whether the product is low end or top of the line.
February 9, 2017

VW's Emissions Warranty Scandal: Some students cheat on tests. But companies rarely do, because the cost of getting caught is very high. And in the long run, someone usually snitches. So isn't it ironic that a bunch of students caught one of the world's largest manufacturers cheating on a test?
October 1, 2015

Aerospace Warranty Report: Because a few big manufacturers dominate the industry, their problems or successes with warranty cost control can change the industry averages significantly. But over the long term, the trend is clear: aerospace suppliers have learned how to cut their warranty expenses and keep them low. The OEMs? Not so much.
April 2, 2015

New Home Warranty Report: Sales are rising and home prices are increasing, but warranty costs are remaining the same. So the cost of new home warranties as both a percentage of sales and on a per-home basis are declining, in some cases to record low levels. Is this the beginning of a long-awaited recovery in the new home industry?
January 30, 2014

Extended Warranty Survey: At long last, warranty researchers are publishing the results of surveys and vendor assessments, as the industry matures and the appetite for analysis and expertise grows. One study was released and another was previewed at this week's WCM Conference.
March 8, 2012

Implementing iWarranty: 4CS Inc. has a long history of outfitting agricultural and construction equipment makers with its Web-based warranty claims processing software. More recently, it's added a pair of electric car makers, along with two of the biggest construction equipment makers headquartered outside the U.S.
October 28, 2010

Worldwide Warranty Providers: With the attention of Americans turned towards long weekends at the beach, barbecues and mountain getaways, we turn our focus to ten well-known international brands that are among the few non-U.S.-based companies to reveal their warranty expenses.
July 3, 2008

Green Warranties, Part Four: Solar cell manufacturers betray their youth and inexperience when it comes to warranty accounting. Very long warranties, new technology and rapidly increasing sales don't make their jobs any easier.
June 5, 2008

The Institute of Warranty Chain Management: Membership opens this spring and certification courses begin in the fall. Yet some people still wonder why it's taking so long. The reason is a perceived need by the board to develop content and services to retain members before recruiting them.
March 19, 2008

Dell's Warranty Accounting: While it came up short in terms of scandal and financial impact, Dell's accounting investigation did produce one benefit. At long last, the company separated its basic and extended warranty programs. And it turns out that extended warranty was even bigger than we thought.
November 7, 2007

Warranty Analysis Software: Skeptical buyers and long sales cycles can be overcome with relevant demos using a customer's own data.
January 25, 2005

Seagate's 5-yr. Warranties: Is it a bold marketing move that will increase sales? Or is five years a bit too long for a product in such a fast-changing industry?
August 3, 2004

Setting Warranty Policy for Products That Generate Annuity Streams: Most warranty-management analysis concerns warranty as cost, the effect of warranty on customer satisfaction, or the signaling impact of warranty on customers. This article describes a study where the focus was not on the product under warranty, but rather on the effect that warranty length might have on the sales of related peripherals and supplies. These sales generate annuity streams for the manufacturer as long as the product remains in operation. However, cost savings from a shorter warranty period must be weighed against potential lost profit from reduced annuity streams. A shorter warranty policy might cause products to drop out of active use sooner, and the cost savings from a shorter warranty policy therefore might be outweighed by the lost annuity profits.
July 13, 2004