Purpose This paper aims to identify a manufacturer’s abilities to develop, build, sell and deliver Internet of Things (IoT) services. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a qualitative comparative case method that uses multiple sources of data, including executive interviews and secondary data, to understand a manufacturer’s IoT capabilities. Findings Five strategic IoT capabilities were identified: digital business model development, scalable solution platform building, value selling, value delivery and business intelligence and measurement. Research limitations/implications The main limitations are related to the qualitative research method applied. The results are applicable mainly to relatively large and global manufacturers. Practical implications Managers responsible for solution business development can apply the developed model to acquire and manage IoT specific resources, processes and capabilities. Originality/value Existing studies have not addressed the IoT-specific resources, processes and capabilities that manufacturers’ possess. This is one of the first studies to conceptualize how these capabilities are used.