TRATON and International pioneer customer-centric solutions with modular approach
Driven by a commitment to shape the future of service solutions in the commercial vehicle industry, TRATON and International have successfully applied a modular system methodology to the service business. The result is a new model currently being tested in an innovative pilot project that challenges the set ways of selling service contracts within our industry today. “Customers are telling us that we are doing something no one else is,” says Oscar Duse, Senior Portfolio Manager at TRATON.
For TRATON, the future of service offerings is modular, efficient, and innovative. While the offerings to customers will remain unique to each manufacturer, the underlying tools and workflows can be effectively synchronized within the Group. The upcoming launch of the TRATON Modular System represents a great opportunity to extend modularization principles into the services domain, enabling greater scalability and flexibility across the Group.
“We aim to tailor our service offerings to each unique customer need, just as we intend to do with our hardware. This approach allows us to create a comprehensive, modular solution that generates the greatest possible customer value,” says Oscar Duse.
Understanding diverse customer needs
TRATON's customers span various parts of the world, transporting everything from waste to frozen vegetables. Regardless of their specific transport mission, their fundamental need remains the same: vehicles must stay on the road and spend as little time as possible in the workshop. However, the optimal solution for supporting all these diverse customers is not one-size-fits-all. For example, some customers need more advanced telematics while other customers would benefit from servicing their vehicles during weekends. The transport mission and the customer's operational conditions lead to varying demands for service and solution offerings, as well as different performance requirements. Despite this complexity, the industry standard often involves offering service and solution packages in pre-packaged bundles with limited options for customization.
Oscar Duse, Senior Portfolio Manager at TRATON
“To challenge our current approach to service and solution offerings, TRATON, in collaboration with International, initiated a pilot project for the North American market. The objective was specifically to offer tailored, or modular, service contracts. This methodology doesn't prevent pre-packaging offerings, but it ensures you're not limited to it,” Duse says.
Developing a tailored solution
Huber Mastelari, VP of Service Contracts & Connectivity at International
The pilot project started in Q4 2024, with a target launch during 2026. As part of the project, a tool has been developed that processes customer cases. The input for this tool is both data-driven and informed by direct dialogue with customers. Models then generate a precise description of the required service performance—in other words, a customized service and solution specification, complete with the associated expected increase in customer value.
“To avoid the pitfall of developing a centralized solution that doesn't meet market needs, we decided from the outset to visit and engage directly with customers and dealers. The customers explain their current situation, their needs, what works well with their current service setup, their pain points, and so on. We developed the tool based on these conversations,” Duse says.
Huber Mastelari, VP of Service Contracts & Connectivity at International, believes the project is precisely the right strategic move for International to develop its offering.
“It’s helping us simplify complexity and create a more flexible services architecture. This progress is critical to supporting International’s solutions journey—enabling us to tailor offerings to customer needs and deliver integrated solutions more efficiently. Reducing lead times and improving adaptability allows us to strengthen our consultative selling approach, ensuring we can partner with customers to solve their challenges and provide value beyond the vehicle,” says Mastelari.
Tested in daily operations
Thomas Yaeger, Senior Product Marketing Consultant at International
Following customer visits in June 2025, the model was refined over the summer. Subsequent return visits in fall 2025 were conducted to test the updated model. The methodology will be tested in daily operations with a select few dealers and customers across four states in the South and Midwest. The plan is for the pilot to run for one year starting in 2026. It will be continuously evaluated to gain further insights and understanding of how this approach works and what it yields for the customers. If the pilot program is successful, there is the potential for the tool to be incorporated in My International and thereby rolled out at all International dealers and ultimately, to spread this methodology and insights across the whole Group to further improve our global customer offering.
“This way of working differentiates our solutions from the competition, evolves the sales flow, and generates a more focused product offering. The concepts and modular approach were well received and brought excitement to the conversations with customers and dealers,” says Thomas Yaeger, Senior Product Marketing Consultant at International.
Duse confirms that the customer reception has been overwhelmingly positive:
One customer and dealer told us, “With this project, you are doing things other OEMs are not doing today.” That was very gratifying to hear, and I believe we are on the right track.
