Maturity Model Development for Digital Servitization of Manufacturing SMEs

Abstract

Manufacturing businesses seek to increase their revenue streams through new business models. In the context of the continuing digitization of the manufacturing sector, new business models based on digital servitization offerings are at the centre of attention. However, due to the inherent complexity involved in devising such offerings and suitable business models, many companies struggle to embark on this new value-adding pathway that is not yet well understood. Current research has highlighted the general challenges and barriers faced by manufacturing businesses, along with developing tools and roadmaps for successful transition to digital servitization. However, most studies have only focused on servitization in general, omitting the specific “digital” aspect which brings about different challenges. Accordingly, the authors first introduce the concept of digital servitization in general terms, to then discuss different types of it, along with typical barriers to entry and implementation challenges. A critical element of any digital servitization endeavor is to first assess the current state of a business, to define the desired outcome of the process, and to identify the steps and actions required to accomplish the desired end goal. This is accomplished by means of maturity models that also help in terms of benchmarking current and future state against competitors. The authors introduce the research aims and questions, the research methodology and present results from a systematic review of the literature on maturity modelling, including an overview of the maturity modelling methods encountered and their respective dimensions and levels. Finally, conclusions are drawn along with the current state of the research and future work that will be conducted.