Commercial vehicle industry professionals gathered in September for NTEA’s 2026 Executive Leadership Summit held at Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest (Ypsilanti, Michigan). The annual conference focuses on trends, forecasts, and insights designed to further industry knowledge, growth, and profitability.
Building Your Business through a World-Class Innovation Culture
What separates the world’s most innovative companies from everyone else? It isn’t luck or genius — it’s structure, culture, and habit. In this keynote, Chris Heemskerk showed leaders how to build the cultural and operational foundations that drive growth from the inside out. Attendees learned how to define innovation clearly across their organization, establish the leadership habits top innovators rely on, and adopt the everyday rituals that turn ambition into measurable results — in any industry. Participants left with a practical framework for making innovation a repeatable part of how their teams think, decide, and execute.
Presented by: Chris Heemskerk, Founder & CEO, The Innovation Alliance
Creating a Scalable Automation Strategy for Manufacturing & Fabrication
Successful automation requires more than simply investing in robotics technology. This session explored how manufacturers and fabricators can develop a long-term automation strategy that aligns with operational goals, workforce capabilities, and business growth objectives.
Attendees gained insight into how organizations of varying sizes — from small operations to large-scale manufacturers — can evaluate automation opportunities and identify where robotics can deliver the greatest operational impact. The discussion examined strategic approaches to implementation, scalability, and optimization, while highlighting the importance of aligning technology investments with process improvement, organizational readiness, and long-term operational success.
Presented by: Denny Davis, Regional Automation Specialist, Lincoln Electric Automation
Economic Outlook & Industry Forecast Through 2027
Attendees gained a forward-looking, data-driven perspective on the commercial vehicle industry during this in-depth session. Building on key economic indicators, vehicle registration activity, and powertrain developments, NTEA’s Andrew Wrobel delivered an 18-month forecast extending through the end of 2027.
This session examined historical and projected chassis sales by weight class, evolving body and vehicle mix, and the macroeconomic factors shaping vocational demand. The session also examined optimistic and pessimistic scenarios to help attendees plan for varying market conditions.
Presented by: Andrew Wrobel, Commercial Vehicle Insight Strategist, NTEA
Innovating to Win: How Work Truck Industry Leaders Can Beat the Odds in a Rapidly Changing Market
The work truck industry is experiencing significant disruption. Digital connectivity, AI growth, electrification, intensifying competitive pressure, and an increasingly uncertain regulatory environment are reshaping what customers expect and what it takes to grow. For many manufacturers, body builders, and upfitters, the imperative to innovate has never been clearer. Yet most organizations struggle to convert compelling ideas into successful new products and services.
In this session, L.E.K. Consulting Managing Directors Matt Wayne and Ilya Trakhtenberg drew on L.E.K.’s proprietary research and the frameworks from Ilya’s co-authored book, Predictable Winners (Stanford University Press, 2025), to show how work truck executives can:
- Understand the forces reshaping the competitive landscape and what they mean for near-term strategy
- Diagnose why innovation fails in established, mature businesses and what top performers do differently
- Build an innovation engine that systematically reduces risk, accelerates conviction, and delivers a return on innovation investment well above industry benchmarks
- Apply real-world case studies from analogous industrial markets
The session was followed by an open Q&A. Attendees left with a practical framework they could apply immediately to their own organizations.
Presented by: Ilya Trakhtenberg, Managing Director, L.E.K. Consulting; and Matt Wayne, Managing Director, L.E.K. Consulting
Joint Q&A: Industry Outlook & Expert Perspectives
Following their presentations, Andrew Wrobel and Andrej Divis participated in a moderated discussion led by John Davis of MotorWeek. This interactive session provided attendees the opportunity to engage directly with both experts, compare perspectives, and dive deeper into the economic outlook, forecast scenarios, and key trends influencing the future of the work truck industry.
Moderated by: John Davis, Host/Senior Managing Director, MotorWeek
Presented by: Andrej Divis, Executive Director, Mobility Global; and Andrew Wrobel, Commercial Vehicle Insight Strategist, NTEA
Market Trends, Data Insights & Strategic Implications
Participants explored the latest market intelligence and strategic insights impacting the commercial vehicle and work truck industry. Andrej Divis of Mobility Global presented a comprehensive analysis of current market dynamics, including economic drivers, registration trends, and technological shifts influencing fleet and chassis demand.
This session highlighted key inflection points across weight classes and broader industry trends, shaping both near-term performance and long-term market evolution. Attendees gained valuable insights to better interpret market signals and align business strategies with emerging opportunities.
Presented by: Andrej Divis, Executive Director, Mobility Global
Navigating Shifting Government Policies & Regulatory Change in the U.S. and Canada
As government policies and regulations continue to evolve, manufacturers and industry leaders face increasing uncertainty in planning and operations. This session examined the current status of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), including recent developments, policy decisions, and their implications for the commercial vehicle and work truck industry.
Attendees gained insight into the shifting regulatory and policy landscape, including emerging challenges, areas of uncertainty, and the potential operational and strategic impacts on manufacturing, supply chains, and cross-border business activity. The discussion provided valuable context to help leaders better understand and prepare for ongoing policy changes affecting the industry.
Presented by: Laura Dawson, Executive Director, Future Borders Coalition; and Mike Kastner, Senior Vice President, NTEA
Learn more and sign up for 2027 event updates at ntea.com/executivesummit.