service innovation

Against the background of latest developments such as Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet of Things, manufacturers need to adapt their business models. This digital transformation is often associated with implementation challenges, even for market leaders. It will require further efforts and time before customers will benefit from these new trends. This article highlights the implementation reality in German and Swiss mechanical engineering companies, based on a multi-case study with examples from pharma, packaging and construction industry.

Despite the increasing importance of industrial services, they are frequently developed unsystematically and often do not meet needs and expectations to guarantee a successful market launch. The increasing competition in many service markets emphasize the need for systematic analysis of all requirements, meaning to continuously develop innovative services that meet exactly with requirements of customers, employees, management and other stakeholders. This paper introduces a systematic process to analyse requirements within the process of new service development.

This article reports how product manufacturers can benefit from an extended service business. After a short introduction, we explain the transition line from product manufacturers into service providers and describe the challenges inherent in the transition process. Then, we focus on identifying the success factors that need to be considered when creating a professional service management in the context of a manufacturing firm, and triggers to navigate the transition.