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Recent economic transformations have forced companies to redefine their value propositions, increasing traditional product offerings with supplementary services—the so-called Product-Service System (PSS). Among them, the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies is very common. However, the directions that companies are undertaking to offer new value to their customers in the Industry 4.0 have not yet been investigated in detail. Based on a focus group, this paper contributes to this understanding by identifying the main trajectories that would shape a future scenario in which PSS and Industry 4.0 would merge. In addition, future research directions addressing (a) the transformation of the PSS value chain into a PSS ecosystem, (b) the transformation inside a single company towards becoming a PSS provider, and (c) the digital transformation of the traditional PSS business model are identified.

Today more than ever, industrial suppliers are facing existential challenges. The ever-faster pace of technological change, the emergence of innovative business models, and the increase of servitization are threatening the very existence of entire industries. In view of these challenges, the question arises as to how established companies in the supplier industry can develop strategies and generate innovations that can ensure the long-term survival of these companies. This article answers this question by examining a current practical case in the rotating machinery market. Using Schaeffler OPTIME, a digital condition monitoring solution, the challenges and benefits of digital business models for traditional industrial suppliers are highlighted. Thus, the article provides a valuable contribution to a better understanding of new digital business models in changing ecosystems. At the same time, the article provides a best practice for those responsible for innovation in industrial companies.

Die Industrie 4.0 halt viele Moglichkeiten fur produzierende Unternehmen bereit, wahrend sie zeitgleich eine Menge Herausforderungen kreiert. In diesem digitalisierten und globalisierten Marktplatz kommen viele Unternehmen unter Druck, serviceorientierter zu werden und innovative Dienstleistungen wie Smart Services anzubieten. Die digitalen Services schaffen ihren Wert durch die Erweiterung von physischen Produkten. Jedoch haben sich die klassischen Methoden des Service-Engineerings (SE) nicht in ausreichendem Tempo an die digitalisierten Komponenten und veranderten Voraussetzungen angepasst. Hier wird das Smart-Service-Engineering (SSE) als neuer Ansatz fur industrielle Smart Services vorgestellt. Smart-Service-Engineering basiert auf einem iterativen Entwicklungsmodell, das agile und kundenorientierte Methoden zur Verringerung der Entwicklungszeit implementiert, um einen fruhen Markterfolg zu erreichen. Dabei liegt der Fokus auf den Service-Entwicklungsstufen und der Interaktion dieser Elemente des Smart Service. Schlussendlich illustriert der Beitrag die erfolgreiche Umsetzung des Smart-Service-Engineering-Ansatzes auf ein deutsches mittelstandisches Unternehmen der Textilindustrie.

In the context of product service systems and smart services, the huge number of possible variants and dynamic market requirements present a challenge for service providers who want to stay profitable. The combination of variety and dynamic is called the complexity challenge. Among the main difficulty is to respond to the market’s external variety and dynamic with the right flexibility without losing efficiency or effectiveness. This paper, motivated by a case study, focuses on selected difficulties posed by complex markets on the portfolio, product, process and resource level. It introduces a qualitative and quantitative model to manage a company’s internal complexity according to the external complexity on all mentioned levels. In the introduction, the most relevant challenges posed by complex markets will be explained in detail. The second section covers the understanding of complexity management as a control loop. The third section then introduces a set of key figures that can be used to evaluate a company’s internal complexity on a quantitative level. In the fourth section, a curve model that aims at representing the qualitative interconnections between these key figures to gain control of the complexity in product service systems and smart services will be presented.

Modern agricultural machinery manufacturers develop an increasing number of smart services to combine their already excellent physical products with an ever-growing number of physical and digital services to product-service-systems. However, this causes problems for the manufacturers, as these combinations of physical goods, services and digital services are still relatively new, and suitable business models are lacking. This paper presents a morphological framework based on a literature review and expert interviews to develop business models for product service systems. Based on the morphological framework, six different types of general business models for smart services were identified and will be described. The types were validated within the German-based research project Smart-Farming-World along with experts from agriculture and farmers. This paper discusses the first results of the validation with farmers and shows the potential of a business model for a digital twin in the context of potato harvesting.

In order to achieve a holistic cost management approach, the maintenance and service costs should already be assessed during the development of machines and equipment. The required information in the company, like PLM, process and test data, are commonly not available or vague, especially in early development phases. This paper introduces a feasible method for an early assessment of maintenance and service costs during product development. In doing so, appropriate cost assessment methods are selected, based on the availability and quality of the existing information in the individual development phases. The evaluations of these methods are aggregated in a software tool, so that the respective cost information is displayed with a maximum, minimum and most probable value. The developed software tool was validated in cooperation with a new electric vehicle manufacturer.

Kurzfassung Kleine und mittlere Unternehmen (KMU) stehen zunehmend vor der Herausforderung, im Wettbewerb immer komplexer und volatiler werdenden Leistungen des After-Sales-Service zu bestehen. Ein Erfolgsfaktor ist die Veränderungsfähigkeit bzw. die stetige Adaption des eigenen Serviceportfolios. Um KMU bei der Identifikation notwendiger Anpassungen ihres Serviceportfolios, bei deren Bündelung, Management und Umsetzung zu unterstützen, wurde das Forschungsprojekt „ReleasePro“ gestartet. Im Zuge dieses Vorhabens erfolgt die Entwicklung eines systematischen Service-Release-Managements für KMU.

Today, machine manufacturers generate a significant share of their revenues with the provision of services. At the same time, they are confronted with the challenge of adopting of Industrie 4.0. One of the most important Industrie 4.0 concepts is the idea of the digital shadow, which contributes to the comprehensive structuring of different kinds of data from different data sources. It can be defined as the sufficiently precise, digital representation of reality in real-time. Thus, it also functions as a database of the considered area of a company that can be used for numerous applications. It serves as a central platform for the aggregation and distribution of data. Thereby, it helps to open isolated data silos. A system architecture that enables extraction of data from various sources and the aggregation of that data is an important prerequisite for the digital shadow. In addition, the merger of data from different sources requires a model of the part of the company to be mapped digitally. In this paper, we focus on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services of machine manufacturers. The scope comprises the whole order processing of a service including the utilized resources and the obtained results. MRO services and their single elements are mapped and structured using a case study research in a first step. Those elements provide a basis for designing the digital shadow. A second contribution of this paper is a data model for the digital shadow of MRO services that entails a comprehensive representation of that department.

This chapter examines the question of the contribution of smart services for companies and the implications this has for the management of these business models. The chapter starts by outlining the different terminology used to describe smart services and introduces a business-driven view on the digitalization strategy of a company. The characteristic features of digital business models are explained as well as their implications for the management of smart service organizations.

In the world of smart services, many showcases demonstrate the possibilities of the novel “services”. In this chapter, we introduce four different use cases from industry and not only illustrate the specific real-world application but also regard the added value for the individual companies.

Technology and customer focus lead to a new vision of integrated and digitized industries, fostering the development of a new kind of services—the smart services. In this introduction, we give a short overview and motivate our book on the topic of smart service management.

Der traditionelle After Sales Service inklusive der hohen Margen und Gewinnbeitrage steht einem Wandel gegenuber. Digitale Transformation, Globalisierung oder disruptive Geschaftsmodelle verandern die etablierten Rahmenbedingungen des Geschaftsbereiches zunehmend. Daher sollten sich Unternehmen auf diesen Wandel vorbereiten und Veranderungen in der eigenen Organisation anstosen. Aus diesem Grund wird in dem letzten Kapitel des vorliegenden Buches auf wichtige Trends im After Sales Service eingegangen. Zu nennen sind hierbei der Ansatz der Servitization (Abschn. 7.1), die Digitale Transformation im After Sales Service (Abschn. 7.2), digitale Geschaftsmodelle (Abschn. 7.3), das Smart Service Engineering (Abschn. 7.4) oder der Einfluss der Elektromobilitat auf den automobilen After Sales Service (Abschn. 7.5).

Subscription business models have a major role for monetizing products and services for manufacturing companies in the age of Industry 4.0. As the manufacturing industry has difficulties generating revenues through digitalization, the implementation of innovative business models are essential to remain successful. Physical assets are often capital-intensive and require a more complex manufacturing process than subscription business models. Moreover, subscription models can focus on the individual customer benefit and a consistent service transformation, constituting a unique selling proposition and a competitive advantage. Hence, the following paper provides a management model that enables manufacturing companies to successfully realize the transformation towards a subscription business model. The management model presents four major fields of action, each matched with one design principle that must be considered when dealing with subscription models in the manufacturing industry. These principles were determined by an in-depth case study analysis among various manufacturing companies. Opportunities, challenges and recommendations for action were then systematically derived and integrated into the management model.

Smart-Service-Plattformen konnen einen Losungsbaustein darstellen, um die steigende Weltbevolkerung ressourcenschonend zu ernahren. Durch die Aggregation von Daten und kontextsensitive datenbasierte Dienstleistungen konnen Landwirte prazise wahrend der gesamten landwirtschaftlichen Produktion unterstutzt werden, um bei gleichbleibender Versorgungsflache den steigenden Nahrungsmittelbedarf zu decken. Die Entwicklung und der erfolgreiche Betrieb einer Smart-Service-Plattform stellt viele Unternehmen, nicht nur in der Landwirtschaft, jedoch vor grose Herausforderungen, da sich die Geschaftsmodelle und -logiken einer Plattform grundlegend von herkommlichen Produkten unterscheiden. Um Unternehmen praxisnahe Gestaltungsempfehlungen fur den Erfolg einer Smart-Service-Plattforum zu geben, wurden fur diesen Beitrag insgesamt 25 bereits bestehende Plattformen aus den Bereichen Smart Farming und Smart Production sowie branchenubergreifenden Plattformen mittels einer Case-Study-Research hinsichtlich ihres Geschaftsmodells und ihren jeweiligen Erfolgskriterien untersucht. Basierend auf den Ergebnissen der unterschiedlichen Case-Studys werden insgesamt neun Gestaltungsempfehlungen fur den erfolgreichen Betrieb einer Smart-Service-Plattform vorgestellt, die jeweils auf die Besonderheiten der Branche eingehen und so ein umfassendes Bild fur den Erfolg einer Smart-Service-Plattform geben.

In order to cope with the challenges of an increased demand for flexibility, quality and availability of production, maintenance measures provide a major competiveness factor for manufacturing companies. Yet, interdependencies between maintenance and production activities as well as differing target systems within the functional units of an enterprise, especially production and maintenance, raise needs for extended coordination efforts. This paper aims to develop an innovative approach for the coordination between maintenance and production activities for industrial production companies. To achieve this, the novel coordination mechanism is used. It helps to achieve maximised operational availability—for a maximised output of the production system at optimal costs. Based on the developed model, the present paper identifies findings regarding the impact of different maintenance strategies on the medium-term economic efficiency of the production system.

Industrial service companies deliver technically complex services (inspection, maintenance, repair, improvement, installation) for an enormous variety of technical assets in the chemical, steel, food and pharmaceutical industry. This variety of assets leads to a corresponding variety of service processes. To ensure competitiveness, the management of industrial service companies aims to increase the service process efficiency, especially through service process standardization. However, decision-makers struggle to make knowledge-based decisions on service process standardization because ex-ante the cost-benefit ratios of process standardization are unknown. The missing understanding of cost-benefit ratios of process standardization is caused by a missing understanding, which interdependencies exist between process characteristics and process performance indicators. Thus, the objective of this paper is to determine suitable characteristics and performance indicators to measure the way service provision processes are executed in the industrial service sector. The results represent the basis for executing an empirical questionnaire study focusing on the execution of service provision processes and identifying the cause-effect relations of process standardization.

Data-driven services play an important role in innovative business models of successful manufacturing companies: They hold great potential for the creation of unique selling points and improve the differentiation of manufacturing companies in highly competitive markets. However, the large number of newly invented digital services that fail shortly after launching implies that companies struggle with the invention and implementation of data-driven service solutions, which ends in a waste of resources. The following paper introduces guideline principles for successful innovation processes for data-driven services. The principles were identified during in-depth case studies with manufacturing companies. They contribute to a necessary paradigm change for manufacturing companies in terms of data-driven services for machines. The six identified principles emphasize new aspects regarding the new dimension of data-driven solutions and improve the life cycle management of products and services. They demonstrate how the rules of agile development can lead to successful and more efficient service innovations in the industrial sector.

Damit Unternehmen die Potenziale von Smart Services nutzen konnen, mussen intelligente Objekte, technische Infrastruktur und Geschaftsmodelle kombiniert werden. Smart Services sind datenbasiert und erfordern daher eine integrierte Berucksichtigung von Hard- und Software. Sie stellen die hochste Ausbaustufe digitaler, datenbasierter Geschaftsmodelle dar. Fur die erfolgreiche Entwicklung von Smart Services bedarf es daher anderer Ansatze als bei der klassischen industriellen Dienstleistungsentwicklung. In einem breit angelegten Benchmarking konnte diese Erkenntnis bestatigt werden. Als Kernergebnis wurden funf Prinzipien fur die erfolgreiche Entwicklung von Smart Services abgeleitet.

Die Nutzung von Informations‐ und Kommunikationstechnologien in Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft ist inzwischen zur Selbstverstandlichkeit geworden. Deutschen Leitbranchen, wie dem Maschinen‐ und Anlagenbau, stehen durch die Digitalisierung jedoch noch grose Umbruche vor. Die Erfassung von Daten im laufenden Betrieb der Anlagen bietet die Chance durch die Analyse der Daten wertvolle Informationen zu gewinnen. Diese Informationen lassen sich in datenbasierten Dienstleistungen mehrwertstiftend in der Instandhaltung nutzen. In diesem Beitrag wird das Potenzial von datenbasierten Dienstleistungen in der Instandhaltung erlautert und wie dadurch neue Geschaftsmodellen fur Unternehmen entstehen konnen. Der Beitrag schliest ab mit einer Beschreibung moglicher Einsatzfelder von datenbasierten Dienstleistungen in der Instandhaltung am Beispiel des Unternehmens BELFOR DeHaDe GmbH.

Informations‐ und Kommunikationstechnologien ermoglichen die effiziente, schnelle und sichere Planung und Steuerung von Verwaltungs‐ und Leistungsprozessen in der Instandhaltung. Die systematische Erfassung, Verwaltung und Nutzung administrativer Auftragsdaten kombiniert mit technischen Zeichnungen, Materialeigenschaften und Maschinendaten unterstutzt gezielt die Abwicklung von Instandhaltungsprozessen von der Initiierung bis zum Abschluss des Auftrages. Das vorliegende Kapitel zeigt die Ziele des Einsatzes von IT‐Systemen in der Instandhaltung auf, beschreibt die Elemente und Funktionen von Instandhaltungsplanungs‐ und ‐steuerungssystemen (IPS‐Systeme), befasst sich mit der Nutzung mobiler Systeme und gibt einen Uberblick uber aktuelle und kunftige Entwicklung der Informations‐ und Kommunikationstechnologien in der Instandhaltung.

Nowadays, providing purchasable goods is not enough for a company to survive on the global market. Because of competitive prices and a large range of products available, companies need to offer additional benefits to their customers in order to create a unique selling point. They add services to their product portfolio and offer clients the opportunity to acquire an additional service solution to go with it. The offered services need to fit to the customer's needs, resulting in a variety of available services, great complexity of the service range and decreasing transparency of the resource utilization. This paper addresses the problem by identifying variant-creating factors in product service systems, transferring them into an organizational framework and verifying their significance.

Current planning processes in construction industry oftentimes cannot cope with the complexity of large factory planning projects. As complexity increases in future due to growing team sizes and shorter project durations, there is a strong need for a service system that helps improving planning processes. In this paper, a design method for complex service systems is presented and applied to the case of planning process management. The developed service is applied in an industrial use-case.