The CSO Agenda for 2026: Winning in Traditional Services While Scaling Up Service Innovation

Services have become a central driver of value creation in the commercial vehicle industry. As OEMs invest in connectivity, uptime solutions, electrification and digital platforms, the role of Service operations continues to expand beyond supporting vehicle sales. In a market shaped by inflation, rising material costs and increasing competition, profitability can no longer rely solely on the initial transaction and must increasingly be captured across the customer lifecycle.

However, while digital and zero emission ecosystems are essential for long term competitiveness, most near and mid term EBIT and cash generation still comes from traditional parts and workshop activities. Manufacturers therefore face a dual challenge: sustaining performance in the core Service business while building the capabilities required for future Service models.

In this article, Alvarez & Marsal’s Corporate Transformation Services experts examine the evolving agenda and the strategic priorities OEMs must address to balance short term profitability with Service innovation.