Product-service systems evolution in the era of Industry 4.0

Abstract

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.

Inherent paradoxes in the shift to autonomous solutions provision: a multilevel investigation of the shipping industry

“…Therefore, our context-specific findings should hold some degree of external validity and may well extend to other digitalization processes (Parida et al 2019 ). In a very wide sense, the identified paradoxes hold elements that can be linked to tension between past and future as digital servitization toward autonomous solutions is a process that requires changing traditional business models at an industrial level (Gaiardelli et al 2021 ; Thomson et al 2021 ). For instance, the organizational identity paradox, the technology development paradox, and the customer interaction paradox share underlying elements between past and future (manifested at their respective levels), as traditional value offerings change from product plus after sales services toward a future full-value solution (Gaiardelli et al 2021 ).…”

“…In a very wide sense, the identified paradoxes hold elements that can be linked to tension between past and future as digital servitization toward autonomous solutions is a process that requires changing traditional business models at an industrial level (Gaiardelli et al 2021 ; Thomson et al 2021 ). For instance, the organizational identity paradox, the technology development paradox, and the customer interaction paradox share underlying elements between past and future (manifested at their respective levels), as traditional value offerings change from product plus after sales services toward a future full-value solution (Gaiardelli et al 2021 ). So too, the ecosystem evolution paradox and the coopetition paradox hold elements whose tensions can be linked to the value creation process moving from a traditional transaction-based relationship with clear boundaries, toward a future sharing and symbiotic relationship (Gaiardelli et al 2021 ).…”

“…Digitalization has begun the process of transforming many traditional industries. The economic landscape is being changed worldwide through the leveraging of tremendous efficiency improvements derived from digital technologies such as AI, automation, and analytics (Tronvoll et al 2020 ; Gaiardelli et al 2021 ; Sjödin et al 2021 ). According to an 2018 IDC report, 38% of traditional businesses had already adopted a digital strategy, and the IMF estimates that 65% of the world’s GDP will be digitalized by 2022 (FinancesOnline 2020 ).…”

Services on Platform Ecosystems in the Smart Home 2.0 Era: Elements Influencing Consumers’ Value Perception for Smart Home Products

“…In the IoT era, value creation evolved from a single company to a multi-company platform [32]. In the near future, many people will live in a "smart home" which will be an intelligent and coordinated platform ecosystem consisting of software and hardware [33].…”

Product-Service System for the Pharmaceutical Industry

“…These opportunities often only become apparent when both sides work together. There is therefore a strong need to develop this area of PSS design [11][12][13]. Nevertheless, the article undertook the co-design of PSS for the pharmaceutical industry in a research workshop.…”