Meet the Leaders Shaping Aftersales, Aftercare & Warranty
With 36 speakers already announced and more speaker reveals still to come, MAPconnected’s 6th annual Service & Warranty Lifecycle Summit is building toward a 50-speaker program.
At MAPconnected’s 6th annual Service & Warranty Lifecycle Summit, October 19–21 at The Westin Southfield Detroit, warranty, quality, technical assistance, field service and technology leaders will hear a shared main program. The value of bringing colleagues is being able to assess the same evidence together, with different responsibilities represented in the discussion.
For senior managers, directors and heads of functions, that can change the conversation after a session. A promising diagnostic capability may require a different approach to dealer support. An AI investment may depend on evidence that another function controls. A warranty performance measure may reveal a larger quality or customer-retention issue.
Those are leadership decisions worth examining together before a proposal reaches the budget meeting.
Meet the people responsible for the decisions
With 200 participants from 80 companies expected, the Summit brings a concentrated community of aftersales, aftercare services and warranty professionals into one room.
Graham Swan, Executive Director Global Warranty at Cummins, and Daryl Kreskowiak, Director NA Warranty Recovery at Stellantis, bring perspectives from warranty leadership and recovery. Marijo Prodanic, Director Warranty Ops & Tech Assistance at Kia America, and Miles Thompson, Senior Manager Advanced Diagnostics at Hyundai Motor America, add experience from technical support and diagnostics.
Their roles matter as much as the subjects on the agenda. A director evaluating a change to warranty policy can hear from leaders accountable for its operational consequences. A head of technical assistance can compare priorities with the people managing quality, recovery and the wider service experience.
Before attending, identify the business decision your team most needs to advance and the perspectives missing from it. Use that to decide which colleagues should join you and which conversations to seek out.
Learn beyond your own sector
The network spans OEMs, component and aftermarket manufacturers, retailers and dealer networks, and aftercare, aftersales and technology providers.
The Summit creates opportunities to learn across automotive, heavy truck, powersports and motorcycle, agricultural and industrial businesses, including EV manufacturers and service providers. The products and service environments differ. That makes it useful to examine how another sector approaches diagnostic support, warranty governance or supplier accountability, rather than assuming your own sector has exhausted the options.
Ask what made an approach work, what constraints shaped it and what would need to change for your organization. A useful comparison includes the limits of the example, not just its outcome.
Use the shared program to challenge assumptions
The main program gives colleagues common ground for discussing software, AI, quality, customer trust and warranty performance. Two Leadership Xchange Group breakout periods provide focused opportunities to pursue specific responsibilities and questions.
After a discussion, compare what each colleague believes it means for the business. Where do your conclusions differ? Is the issue investment, governance, capability or the way performance is measured? What additional evidence would change your view?
These exchanges can expose a disagreement early, while the speaker or peer who prompted it is still available for a follow-up conversation.
Make time for the Tech Expo and the dinners
The Tech Expo, 12+ hours of networking and seven Tuesday dine-around dinners are part of the reason to attend with a team. They offer time to examine solutions and develop relationships beyond the formal sessions. Dine-around reservations are required.
At the Expo, bring both the business owner and the colleague who understands implementation. Explore the operating requirement, integration needs and evidence behind a proposed solution together.
Use the dinners and networking periods to continue a discussion, meet leaders outside your usual circle and establish contacts your team can return to after Detroit.
Leave with a leadership decision
Reserve time after the Summit to agree what your organization should investigate, change or choose not to pursue. Record the business case, accountable executive, evidence still needed and next decision date.
Keep the relationships moving through MAPconnected’s year-round Leadership Xchange Groups. The return on attending should include a better-informed decision and peers who can help you test it.
Team ticket options are available for groups of three or more. Review the agenda with your leadership colleagues and decide which colleagues should attend.
