Eric Arnum is the editor of Warranty Week, an online newsletter aimed at warranty management professionals. Following a stretch of more than 15 years performing market research in the telecommunications and electronic messaging industries, he has now turned his focus to the manufacturing industry's aftermarket, producing a weekly column analyzing warranty costs, claims processing, and management trends.
Arnum has performed consulting projects for a wide range of clients, including Silicon Graphics, AT&T EasyLink, the European Commission DG XIII, the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, Sun Microsystems, cc:Mail, Informix, Qualcomm, RAI (Italian TV), and Soft-Switch. He also has presented his market research reports to customers of Lotus Development Corp., Compaq Services, United Messaging, and others. His articles have appeared in PC Week, Group Computing, Business Communications Review, Datamation, ComputerWorld, Computer Reseller News, and MTV SonicNet Music News.
Eric can be contacted at earnum@warrantyweek.com
Marianne Grant is Director and Industry Subject Matter Expert of Syncata Corp., a business consulting and systems integration firm that helps automotive, industrial manufacturing, and automotive finance companies achieve breakthrough operational performance through innovative business and technology solutions.
Drawing on over twenty-three years of experience in manufacturing, management and technology, Marianne supervised the development of Syncata's TREAD Act Compliance Solutions, and has personally advised hundreds of affected companies on the most effective steps to achieving compliance.
As a respected TREAD Act expert, Marianne has been a frequent panelist and delivered numerous presentations, lectures and seminars on the TREAD Act and Early Warning for industry associations and their members, including the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), the Japanese Auto Parts Industry Association (JAPIA) and the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) among others. Marianne has also been quoted in numerous business and trade publications including, Automotive News, Actionline Magazine, Warranty Week, Ward's AutoWorld, and CIO Magazine.
As a result of her work, Forrester Research recently said; "Forrester estimates that Syncata has reached more than one-third of the companies affected by TREAD through advisory services or software like its IMMUNE System and TREAD Reporting System - impressive, given that Syncata is a small, privately held firm with fewer than 200 employees."
Marianne joined Syncata, in 1997 as a Project Manager
and later became the Practice Manager for Packaged Solutions. She established
the Packaged Solutions consulting practice specializing in Customer Relationship
Management, positioning the company as a viable partner, and initiated
new implementations and enhancements to existing installations.
Prior to joining Syncata, Marianne held several technical and internal
consulting positions with the Los Angeles Times during her eight-year
tenure there. Managing a team of over 40 people, she was involved in the
design and development of numerous phases of the $40+ million Classified
System Replacement Project.
Marianne studied Physics, Chemistry and Education at the University of London.
She lives in Long Beach, CA, tends her garden when
she can, and travels the country weekly advising manufacturers on the
most effective route to achieving TREAD compliance.
Marianne can be contacted at earnum@warrantyweek.com