Emphasizing a Service Phase Perspective for Machine Manufacturers Seeking Digital Servitization - a Taxonomy for Industrial Service Phases

The ongoing shift to solution-oriented business models and growing digitalization lead to an increasing importance of services in manufacturing industry. Machine manufacturers in particular struggle to grasp the extent of transformational impact enabled or required by service developments. This is due to a narrow perspective on specific service characteristics, but not on the entire service process. Therefore, a service-dominant perspective is essential in the value creation of manufacturers, placing relevant service phases in the foreground. However, the process-related character of services is rarely considered in the literature. For this purpose, this study provides a taxonomy that classifies services based on phases. In addition to a systematic literature analysis, this study builds on practical insights by conducting eight expert interviews. The applicability and usefulness of the taxonomy is then demonstrated through exemplary application based on a case study, enabling practitioners to adopt a phase-oriented perspective on digital servitization

Barriers to the Development of Data-Driven Services: An ISM Approach for SMEs

Data is nowadays considered as a key resource and represents the most valuable asset of our technology-driven world. However, the ability to use this resource in a value-adding way requires a holistic perspective. Small- and medium-sized enterprises in particular face major challenges in the innovation and development process. Despite preliminary research in the area of data-driven services (DDS), there is a lack of methodological analysis of the key barriers for SMEs in the context of DDS development. To address this shortcoming, we have developed an interpretive structural model based on a two-stage mixed-method approach by combining a structured literature review with practice-oriented focus group interviews to identify key barriers and their interdependencies and interactions. Our paper strengthens the knowledge of DDS development through a methodological barrier analysis and provides a guide for practitioners to eliminate the most relevant barriers to DSS development

Categorizing Challenges And Potentials Of Digital Industrial Platforms

In complex supply chains, digital platforms play an emerging role as an infrastructure for network-based collaboration of industrial companies to stay competitive. Participating in a platform business offers a range of new potentials, while also introducing new challenges. Awareness of these is crucial for both users and providers to make informed decisions. Thus, this paper provides an overview about typical challenges and potentials from the perspective of potential or actual digital industrial platform users to support decision making processes. Against that backdrop, a descriptive study is conducted in the field of industrial service platforms motivated from two sides. Expert workshops are held to examine the practical opportunities and hurdles. The findings are then compared to those identified in literature. Then, the results are organized into a category system that highlights the key challenges and potentials for users as well as providers of digital industrial platforms

A WEB-CRAWLING BASED STUDY ON SERVITIZATION: ANALYSIS OF SERVICE OFFERINGS BY GERMAN MANUFACTURERS OF MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT

The machinery and equipment industry is, next to the automotive industry, the sector with the highest turnover in Germany. Here, servitization is a crucial contribution to remain competitive. Nevertheless, the diversity of this industry is not sufficiently taken into account in the scientific community. To overcome this gap, this study utilizes a web-crawling based approach to analyze service offerings of German manufacturers, linking key company figures to investigate potential correlations. This contribution differs from conventional studies using databases that hardly contain any detailed service information of smaller manufacturers. The proposed approach derives a clearer picture of the current service portfolio, considering all company sizes and its degree of servitization, enabling comparisons between micro-, small-, medium- and large-sized manufacturers. In context of digital servitization, the study allows further conclusions about the range of so-called basic services or advanced services and how these are related to key company figures

Tasks and Hurdles of Digital Transformation in Companies – a Literature-Review

Digital Transformation in logistics and supply chain management is a challenge and a big chance for companies at the same time. It can open new business areas by providing new products and services. However, as promising as the digital transformation looks, the challenges for a successful transformation are not to underestimate. Many companies fail during the digital transformation process. This paper aims to shed light on why some companies have difficulties with digital transformation and others not by looking at the hurdles and responsibilities involved. By comparing the limitations and obligations, this paper identifies gaps and ambiguities that might lead to failure. A structured qualitative literature review presents the status quo of the actual scientific discourse in digital transformation, sums up tasks and barriers of the digital transformation in companies, and derives initial recommendations for action. This paper shows that a digital transformation’s hurdles and barriers are multifaceted and can be located on different enterprise levels. Enterprise culture and the top management’s awareness and capabilities are essential for digital transformation. The same applies to the tasks of a digital transformation