As we near the end of another remarkable year for the MAPconnected Service & Warranty Lifecycle Network, one experience continues to surface in conversations across our community: the Spring Club Study hosted by Bridgestone Americas in Nashville. Click Video Below For Highlights
This gathering was more than an event. It was a peer working forum—designed intentionally to bring together OEM leaders to engage deeply on specific pressing challenges facing service, warranty, and quality teams today centered under the overall theme: Unlocking Cost Efficiency: Smarter Warranty, Parts Return & Repair Strategies
A Setting Built for Real Work
We are incredibly grateful to James Kiriazes, Angela Schumacher, and the entire Bridgestone team for hosting and setting the tone for what became a highly collaborative and impactful 2-day experience.
The agenda was packed by design. Over the course of the club study, participants engaged in peer-led discussions focused on:
- Drivers Of Cost Reduction Across The Repair Lifecycle
- Simplifying Warranty Claiming For Dealers And Increasing Usefulness To OEMs and Suppliers
- Improving Warranty Parts Return: Do Warranty Parts Need To Be Returned
From Strategy to Execution: Inside the Distribution Center
One of the most memorable moments of the study was the behind-the-scenes tour of the Bridgestone / Firestone Distribution Center.
Walking through a facility housing over one million tires under one roof offered a tangible view into how warranty execution happens at scale. Attendees were able to see firsthand how every tire returned through the warranty process is meticulously inspected and quality-checked, reinforcing the operational rigor required to manage warranty programs effectively.
This experience brought context and clarity to many of the discussions happening in the room—connecting strategy directly to execution.
Advancing AI Across the Lifecycle
Another defining component of the Spring Club Study was our AI-focused working sessions.
Rather than abstract discussions about artificial intelligence, participants engaged in structured AI Use Cases, pairing small OEM groups with AI technology providers. These sessions focused on identifying practical, near-term applications of AI across the service and warranty lifecycle—and at the conclusion of the day, developing completed AI Project Roadmaps that could easily be implemented as Proof of Concept (POC).
A Community That Makes It Work
We extend our sincere thanks to all who participated and contributed to the depth of this exchange, including leaders from:
- Ford
- Toyota
- General Motors
- Kia
- Cummins
- Bridgestone
Your openness, expertise, and willingness to engage candidly are what make MAPconnected gatherings distinctive.
We are also grateful to our AI-SWLM Think Tank sponsors for their continued support and thought leadership throughout this year, including Syncron, Tavant, Circuitry.ai, ServiceNow, Advantage Technical, PTC, SAS, Sd-ize, Upstream and MR Insights.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As we reflect on this Spring Club Study, we are already looking forward to confirming our 2026 mid-year, Club Study location, and we are actively exploring hosts. Past hosts have included Navistar / International (2023) and General Motors (2024), and Bridgestone set a high bar in 2025.
If your organization is interested in hosting a future MAPconnected Spring Club Study, we would welcome the conversation.
These gatherings work because they are built by the community, for the community—and we look forward to continuing that tradition together.