Service-oriented product development strategies (Serviceorienterede produktudviklingsstrategier)

Year: 2010
Supervisor: McAloone, Tim; Andreasen, Mogens Myrup
Institution: Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Page(s): 233
ISBN: 978-87-90855-32-1

Abstract

Manufacturing companies have traditionally focused their efforts on designing, developing and producing physical products for the market.
Today, global competition, outsourcing and legislation commend that companies take greater responsibility of their products. This is driving some manufacturers to shift their business strategies from selling products (e.g. photocopying machines) to the provision of services (e.g. document services). Instead of the product itself, the activity and knowledge associated with the use of the product is perceived to be of more value to customers. In the research community, service-oriented approaches that embrace this change of business focus from individual products to total integrated customer solutions are termed Product/Service-Systems (PSS) approaches. The research in this thesis addresses the systematic design and development of PSS solutions in manufacturing firms. Here PSS are understood on three levels in relation to design:
1. PSS solution - a system of integrated products and services that companies develop and deliver to customers.
2. PSS development – the integrated design processes and development activities that result in PSS solutions.
3. PSS approaches – service-oriented business strategies that coordinate PSS development.
Based on an extensive review of the relevant literature and five empirical case studies the following insights were made:
- PSS solutions may be conceptualized by considering the product life phase systems, customer activities and the actor network. These perspectives are fundamental to the understanding of PSS and provide an answer to how they can be more resource-efficient and competitive than traditional product-based business models.
- Development activities related to PSS take place on multiple levels of the organization in a manufacturing firm from the formulation of business strategy to individual development projects of products and services, right down to the continuous support of customer activities on an operational level. This identification of development activities
helps companies and researchers in understanding and structuring the development task related to PSS approaches.
- PSS approaches require companies to coordinate their business strategy with their development competencies, product strategy and service offerings in close collaboration with customers and other external partners.
These findings resulted in theoretical models, prescriptive methods and practical tools that are useful for industry, academia and students interested in adopting PSS approaches.
Resumé
Produktproducerende virksomheder har traditionelt vćret fokuseret på at udvikle, fremstille og sćlge fysiske varer. I dag med global konkurrence, øget outsourcing og krav om at virksomheder skal tage større ansvar for deres produkter, overvejer nogle producenter at skifte forretningsstrategi fra at sćlge produkter (fx fotokopimaskiner) til at levere serviceydelser (fx dokumenthåndtering). I stedet for produktet selv, er det kundens aktiviteter og ydelsen i forbindelse med produktets brug, der fremstår som mere vćrdifuldt. I den akademiske verden bliver denne serviceorientering imod totale kundeløsninger kaldt for produkt/service-systemer (PSS) tilgange.
Denne afhandling omhandler den systematiske udvikling af PSS løsninger I produktproducerende virksomheder. Her kan PSS forstås på tre niveauer I forhold til design og udvikling:
1. PSS løsning – et system af integrerede produkter og servicer, som virksomheder udvikler og leverer til deres kunder.
2. PSS udvikling – de integrerede designprocesserne og udviklingsaktiviteterne, der resulterer i PSS løsninger.
3. PSS tilgange – service-orienterede forretningsstrategier, der sørger for koordinering af PSS udvikling.
Med udgangspunkt i en omfattende gennemgang af den relevante litteratur og analyse af fem empiriske casestudier, bidrager denne afhandling med følgende indsigter:
- PSS løsning kan konceptualiseres ved at overveje produktets livsfasesystemer, kundeaktiviteter og aktørnetvćrket. Disse perspektiver er grundlćggende for forståelsen af PSS, og giver et svar på hvordan PSS tilgange kan vćre konkurrencedygtige og mere effektive i udnyttelse af naturressourcer end traditionelle produktbaserede forretningsmodeller.
- Udviklingsaktiviteterne forbundet med PSS finder sted på flere niveauer af organisationen i en fremstillingsvirksomhed: fra formulering af forretningsstrategi til udførende produkt- og serviceudviklingsprojekter, frem til løbende støtte af kundeaktiviteter på driftsniveau. Identificering af disse udviklingsaktiviteter hjćlper virksomheder og forskere i at forstå og strukturere udviklingsopgaven i forbindelse med PSS tilgange.
- PSS tilgange krćver virksomheder at koordinere deres forretningsstrategi med deres udviklingskompetencer, produktstrategi og serviceydelser i tćt samarbejde med kunder og andre eksterne partnere.
Denne afhandling har resulteret i teoretiske modeller, metoder og praktiske udviklingsvćrktøjer som er nyttige for industrivirksomheder, forskere og studerende interesseret i serviceorientering.