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The role of digital technologies in service business transformation is under-investigated. This paper contributes to filling\ud this gap by addressing how the Internet of things (IoT), cloud computing (CC) and predictive analytics (PA) facilitate\ud service transformation in industrial companies. Through the Data–Information–Knowledge–Wisdom (DIKW) model, we\ud discuss how the abovementioned technologies transform low-level entities such as data into information and knowledge\ud to support the service transformation of manufacturers. We propose a set of digital capabilities, based on the extant\ud literature and the findings from four case studies. Then, we discuss how these capabilities support the service transformation\ud trajectories of manufacturers. We find that IoT is foundational to any service transformation, although it is mostly\ud needed to become an availability provider. PA is essential for moving to the performance provider profile. Besides\ud providing scalability in all profiles, CC is specifically used to implement an industrialiser strategy, therefore leading to\ud standardised, repeatable and productised offering

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For over three decades now, several product companies around the world have been undertaking servitization paths. They have been devoting growing and substantial efforts to expand their service business. Expanding the service business in addition to their traditional core product business secures long-term growth and strengthens competitive advantages in business-to-business marketplaces. Recently, service business expansion has taken up many of the new digital technologies offered through the digital transformation. Thus, the servitization literature has progressed toward a dialogue on digital servitization. Against this background, the present article introduces the reader to this special issue. It first recalls key aspects of the emerging digital servitization discussion, and then depicts, through illustrative case studies, the growth paths utilized by industrial product companies when they take advantage of the digital servitization process. After discussing how the articles included in this special issue advance the literature, the article develops a number of directions for future research on digital servitization.

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