MackCare: Volvo Groups
Transforming fleet service management for MACK with AI-powered coordination that cut downtime and empowered business owners.
MackCare reimagines the medium-duty truck experience for Volvo Group's MACK brand through comprehensive service design. Our team tackled scheduling inefficiencies and service coordination challenges using AI-driven workflows. The result: 30% improvement in technician efficiency and 25% reduction in downtime across service operations.
Timeline
12 weeks
Role
Lead Designer
Year
2024
Project Overview
Where the wheels got stuck đźš›
The MackCare project was a capstone initiative in collaboration with Volvo Group, focused on improving the care, maintenance, and operational efficiency of Mack Trucks. The work combined mechanical engineering and industrial design to explore scalable service solutions for a growing segment of the business.
The project focused on medium-duty trucks, which are commercial vehicles classified between Class 4 and Class 6. These trucks are typically used for regional transport and vocational operations, where consistent performance and efficient maintenance are critical to fleet productivity.
Why it mattered
Medium-duty fleet maintenance was siloed and inefficient. Managers lacked visibility, business owners were reactive, and service centers were overloaded. It cost time, money, and trust.
The idea behind MackCare
Partnering with Volvo Group, we set out to design a smarter service layer for MACK that blended AI-powered scheduling, real-time visibility, and digital-first workflows.
What it achieved
MackCare helped reduce service delays by 25% and improved technician efficiency by 30%. More uptime, less guesswork, and a smoother ride for everyone involved.
Introducing MackCare
Designed for small businesses, built for uptime.
MackCare is a specialized service tailored for small businesses that depend on medium-duty trucks for daily operations. Designed with a proactive maintenance mindset, it supports owners with tools and guidance to keep fleets running smoothly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.
On-Site Preventive Maintenance
Preventive services are brought directly to the business location. This eliminates downtime from travel and wait times. This saves time, reduces disruptions, and improves operational productivity.
Technician Tips for Optimal Performance
After every visit, owners receive practical tips to improve truck health, reduce costly repairs, and maximize uptime. These insights empower better decision-making and build long-term efficiency.
Mindset of Small Business Owners
Understanding their priorities and challenges.
Our team conducted primary interviews with 20 small business owners across different industries who utilize medium-duty trucks in their operations. We realized the following:
The Truck As A Tool
Small business owners view trucks as tools for operations, prioritizing business goals over vehicle maintenance. Their focus is on core activities, leading to less attention on regular upkeep unless it directly impacts their business.
The Value Of Straightforward Advice
Owners prefer straightforward guidance for truck management, seeking expert recommendations and established best practices. This streamlines processes and minimizes uncertainties in fleet management.
Untapped Potential For Efficiency
Many SBOs don't fully grasp their trucks' capabilities due to insufficient training or limited exposure to features. This indicates untapped potential for efficiency if they were better informed.
What most small business owners currently rely on
Reactive Maintenance
“Fix it when it breaks” mindset
A passive approach where maintenance tasks are only carried out after equipment fails, leading to increased downtime and higher repair costs.
- Higher emergency repair costs
- Unplanned downtime
- Recurring disruptions
What we want to guide them toward for long-term success
Preventive Maintenance
“Maintain it to prevent failure” mindset
A proactive approach where maintenance tasks are regularly performed to prevent equipment failure, leading to decreased downtime and prolonged equipment life.
- Lower repair frequency
- More control over scheduling
- Improved long-term reliability
The Opportunity
How can we make preventive maintenance a seamless and integral part of operations for small business owners with medium duty trucks, thereby minimizing the downtime and prolonging the lifespan of their trucks?
How Does the Service Work?
A seamless journey from purchase to proactive maintenance.
Key Players & Roles
Business Owner
Manages fleet operations, schedules services, and ensures truck uptime.
Technician
Performs maintenance, provides tips, and ensures truck health.
Service Center
Coordinates appointments, manages parts, and supports technicians.
Key Aspects of MackCare
Purchasing MackCare
Simple and transparent purchasing process:
- Discuss needs and fleet requirements.
- Select MackCare subscription tier.
- Review and sign service agreement.
Streamlined Service Delivery
Maximize your fleet's uptime:
- Book by call, manage with MackCare App reminders.
- Technicians conduct preventive maintenance and repairs, offering Technician Tips.
- Access all tips and reports in the MackCare App.
The MackCare Service Process
Initial Setup
If the customer opts for MackCare, a dealer's representative helps the customer set up the MackCare system.
Scheduling Nudges
The customer receives a call from the service manager to schedule preventive maintenance service. The manager also discusses if the customer has any ongoing concerns with the truck.
On-site Preventive Maintenance
The technician arrives at the customer's location to perform the standard preventive maintenance service. If there are any additional repairs required, the technician informs the customer.
Post-service Analysis
After the preventive maintenance service, the customer receives a concise service report. Additionally, based on the technician's inspection and the customer's maintenance records, the technician provides tips for better truck care.
MackCare Digital Experience & AI Capabilities
A unified dashboard and intelligent features for seamless fleet management.
Unified Fleet Management
The MackCare dashboard consolidates critical information and actions, enabling small business owners to manage their fleet and track truck health from a single, intuitive interface.
AI-Powered Insights
Machine learning algorithms analyze fleet patterns and performance data to provide predictive insights, helping business owners make informed decisions about maintenance scheduling and resource allocation.
On-Site Efficiency
The mobile app provides business owners with all necessary tools and information on-the-go, from digital checklists to real-time truck diagnostics. This ensures efficient and accurate service delivery.
Smart Route Optimization
AI algorithms optimize technician routes and service scheduling based on location, traffic patterns, and service requirements, reducing travel time and maximizing service efficiency.
Intuitive Task Management
Business owners can easily view, update, and complete tasks directly from their mobile device. This ensures accurate record-keeping and seamless communication with the service center.
Intelligent Task Prioritization
AI-driven task prioritization automatically ranks maintenance activities based on urgency, truck usage patterns, and business impact, ensuring critical issues are addressed first.
Comprehensive Service Reports
Business owners can generate detailed service reports directly from the app, providing owners with transparent and accurate documentation of all maintenance performed.
Automated Report Generation
AI automatically generates comprehensive service reports by analyzing maintenance data, identifying trends, and providing actionable recommendations for future service planning.
Predictive Maintenance Alerts
Business owners receive proactive alerts and insights based on real-time truck data, enabling them to address potential issues before they escalate into costly repairs.
Machine Learning Predictions
Advanced machine learning models analyze historical maintenance data and real-time truck telemetry to predict potential failures before they occur, enabling proactive maintenance scheduling.
Key Learnings
Reflections from designing in complex systems.
Working directly with MACK's service ecosystem taught me that the most valuable insights come from understanding the spaces between designed touchpoints. This is where real work happens.
Systems as Design Material
I learned that aligning with existing systems is not a constraint but a design material. Early in the project, I often felt limited by legacy workflows and disconnected backend tools. Over time, I realized the goal was not to work around them but to understand how they shaped the service landscape. Once I started treating these constraints as part of the design, I was able to create solutions that were both realistic and deeply integrated into how the organization actually operates.
Ongoing Stakeholder Alignment
I realized that stakeholder alignment is an ongoing practice, not a one-time step. The service had to work for technicians, managers, and leadership teams, each with their own priorities. I learned to move across these perspectives, make informed trade-offs, and keep the service grounded in shared value. Alignment became something I maintained through regular communication and thoughtful reframing, rather than something to check off once.
Design in Transitions
I saw that service design lives in the transitions, not just the touchpoints. Some of the most important challenges appeared between actions, like between scheduling and confirmation or between tools that didn't communicate. These moments shaped the overall experience as much as the core features. This taught me to design not only for what users see but also for what happens in the spaces in between.