The Person Who Can Help You See The Problem Differently May Work In Another Company.
Your team knows its own warranty claims, dealer challenges and service processes. What is harder to see is how another organization handles the same pressure, and what you might reconsider after hearing their experience.
That is a compelling reason to be in Detroit. The MAPconnected Service & Warranty Lifecycle Summit brings OEM, supplier, warranty, quality, technical support and service leadership into one room. You can hear the case study, question the approach and speak with the people behind it.
These eight speakers show the breadth of experience you can draw on, October 19–21 at The Westin Southfield Detroit.
Lance LaCoe | CARS Protection Plus
What does AI-assisted claims decision-making look like inside a live operation?
Lance LaCoe, President & CEO of CARS Protection Plus, brings the operational perspective to “From Manual Claims to Warranty Decision Intelligence: Lessons from a Live Claims Operation.”
In the case study presentation with Ted Danner of Circuitry.ai, the CARS AI deployment provides a concrete starting point: connecting claim evidence, coverage and repair information, involving adjusters and dealers, and measuring results. For leaders considering similar changes, the discussion moves beyond what the technology promises to the decisions involved in putting it to work.
Bruce Williams | Stellantis
When quality reaches the executive agenda, can leaders connect the issue to the processes behind it?
Bruce Williams, Head of Global Process & Methods – Supplier Quality Development at Stellantis, brings more than 27 years of experience in supplier quality, process improvement and global operations.
Joining Graham Swan, Executive Director Global Warranty at Cummins, for “When Quality Becomes a Board-Level Issue,” he adds a supplier-quality perspective to warranty’s growing organizational complexity. It is a conversation for leaders who need to explain not only what is going wrong, but how responsibilities and decisions connect across the business.
Chelsea Alarie | General Motors
Training is only useful if people can apply it when the work arrives.
Chelsea Alarie, Global Warranty Project Coordinator at General Motors, joins “Moving Beyond Training: Building Dealer Capability & Warranty Accuracy.”
Her deep-dive presentation explores a newly developed Warranty Administration program built around role-based certification, in-work guidance, and tools that support dealer execution. For warranty leaders, the key challenge is not simply providing more training, but ensuring knowledge translates into consistent, accurate actions across the dealer network.
Ted Danner | Circuitry.ai
Which claims decisions should technology support, and where should people remain involved?
Ted Danner, Senior Director Warranty & Service Contract AI Solutions at Circuitry.ai, brings more than 20 years of experience across OEM operations, aftermarket administration and claims.
This session goes beyond theory to examine the recently launched CARS AI-driven claims operation. Together with Lance LaCoe, he will explore how decision intelligence is being applied to evidence review, adjuster guidance, and governed automation, sharing lessons learned, implementation considerations, and early operational outcomes.
Circuitry.ai also supports the Summit as a key MAPconnected partner and an inaugural member of the AI-SWLM Think Tank.
David Brisky | Kia America
When a technician reaches a difficult diagnosis, how quickly can the right support reach the dealer?
David Brisky, Senior Techline Communications Manager at Kia America, has progressed from hands-on technical assistance to leading dealer support operations.
He joins “Getting The Right Support To The Dealer: The Evolution Of Technical Assistance” to compare changing support models, operational challenges and the role of AI. For teams reviewing their own technical assistance operation, this is an opportunity to examine how digital tools and specialist support can work together.
Russell Suzuki | Toyota Motor North America
How does another OEM organize the expertise its dealers depend on?
Russell Suzuki, Manager Field Technical Services at Toyota Motor North America, joins the same technical assistance panel with Toyota’s field-service perspective.
As an inaugural member of the TAC Leadership Xchange, Russell joins leaders from Hyundai, Kia, Hyundai Canada and Ford. Together, they create a rare opportunity to compare different approaches rather than view a single model in isolation. Attendees will explore how digital support capabilities and specialist expertise can work together, while identifying practical ideas and questions to take back to their own organizations.
Tim Bares | Ford Motor Company
A service visit begins before the vehicle reaches the workshop. How much friction is built into booking it?
Tim Bares, Business Analytics Specialist at Ford Motor Company, joins Steve Zadoorian for “Reducing Friction In Service Scheduling: The Ford & STAR Appointment API Case Study.”
Their case study examines the business need and lessons from developing a shared approach to service appointment data. It brings a specific example to a familiar challenge: connecting the systems that support the customer’s route into service.
Steve Zadoorian | STAR
Different systems need a common way to work together. What does that require in practice?
Steve Zadoorian, Executive Director of STAR, brings more than three decades of experience in automotive retail and enterprise technology.
His work connects OEMs, dealers and technology providers through automotive technology standards. Alongside Tim Bares of Ford Motor Company, he explores the appointment-data case study from that wider perspective linking the business problem with the shared data approach needed to address it.
Who Would You Want At The Table?
Someone who understands the claims operation? Someone responsible for supplier quality? Someone who sees where dealer support breaks down?
At the Summit, those conversations do not have to happen separately. Bring colleagues who see different parts of the problem and use the opportunity to explore it together with peers beyond your own organization.
Choose the sessions that matter to your team. Make time for the people behind them.
October 19 – 21, 2026 | The Westin Southfield Detroit
Group discounts are available for teams of 3 or more.
