A complexity management approach to servitization: the role of digital platforms

Eloranta, Ville; Ardolino, Marco; Saccani, Nicola

doi:10.1108/ijopm-08-2020-0582

Cited by 41 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 115 publications

(206 reference statements)

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“…Digital technologies are also crucial for manufacturing companies to provide advanced services to their customers, such as predictive maintenance and remote control of production (Ardolino et al, 2018). In this respect, the evolution towards a serviceoriented business model is effectively enabled by digital technologies (Eloranta et al, 2021).…”

Section: Theoretical Background 21 Industry 40 Enabling Technologies and Their Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The road towards industry 4.0: a comparative study of the state-of-the-art in the Italian manufacturing industry

Zheng

Ardolino

Bacchetti

et al. 2021

BIJ

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PurposeThis paper has two objectives: first, to investigate the state-of-the-art of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) adoption in Italian manufacturing firms and, second, to understand variations in technologies implemented and business functions involved, benefits perceived, and obstacles encountered in I4.0 implementation over a three-year period.Design/methodology/approachThe approach adopted in this research is descriptive, nesting longitudinal features. The paper presents a descriptive survey of 102 Italian manufacturing companies. The authors also evaluated non-response biases. The longitudinal approach was achieved by comparing the responses of the 40 sub-samples in common with a second similar survey launched three years prior, which aimed to identify patterns of evolution in the adoption of the I4.0 paradigm.FindingsSurvey findings demonstrate that Italian manufacturing companies still have limited awareness of I4.0 technologies, and the adoption of I4.0 technologies differs per technology. Company size and information system coverage level are the two factors that impact the company's technology adoption level. The comparative study shows that knowledge and adoption increase in a three-year interval with an unbalanced involvement of business functions regarding the I4.0 transformation. Indeed, companies are still seeking I4.0 solutions to reduce costs and lead times primarily, and the benefits perceived by companies are shown to be related to the number of I4.0 technologies in use. Finally, when companies put the I4.0 technologies into practice, competence is constantly considered the most significant barrier.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper aims at conducting a thorough investigation into the development of I4.0 adoption in manufacturing companies. The main limitation of this study concerns the limited number of subjects involved in the longitudinal study (40) and the focus on a limited geographical area (Italy). In addition, more I4.0 technologies could also be incorporated into the survey protocol to gain further insight into I4.0 development.Originality/valueThe authors provide one of the first attempts to assess the variations of I4.0 implementation concerning technology adoption, business function involvement, and the alteration of benefits and obstacles. Several studies presented in the literature highlight the lack of longitudinal studies investigating the development of the I4.0 paradigm in a specific manufacturing context: this paper is the attempt at filling this gap.

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Section: Theoretical Background 21 Industry 40 Enabling Technologies and Their Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The road towards industry 4.0: a comparative study of the state-of-the-art in the Italian manufacturing industry

Zheng

Ardolino

Bacchetti

et al. 2021

BIJ

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although studies have argued that platforms play significant roles in servitization (Cenamor et al. , 2017; Eloranta et al. , 2021), scholars’ understanding of how platforms affect servitization is still fragmented (Eloranta and Turunen, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They find that servitizing manufacturers use modularity and standardization as the technical core and concurrently operate across multiple structural boundaries. Eloranta et al. (2021) propose that platforms enable servitizing manufacturers to manage relational and cognitive complexity through complexity reduction and absorption.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The exploitation of the growth opportunities enabled by digital solutions and advanced services is challenging because of the progressively higher requirements for technological capabilities and network orchestration of such solutions and services (Kapoor et al. , 2021; Eloranta et al. , 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such an expanding network and interrelationships increase the variety and uncertainty of service processes (Kapoor et al, 2021). The exploitation of the growth opportunities enabled by digital solutions and advanced services is challenging because of the progressively higher requirements for technological capabilities and network orchestration of such solutions and services (Kapoor et al, 2021;Eloranta et al, 2021). Moreover, providing digital solutions and using the network approach usually result in higher solution development and delivery costs and require investments in advanced technologies and the management of interorganizational relationships (Cenamor et al, 2017;Eloranta and Turunen, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Interplay between servitization and platforms: a longitudinal case study

Zhang

Zhao

et al. 2022

IJOPM

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PurposeThis paper aims to empirically explore the evolution of servitization and how platforms affect the transition between the stages of servitization.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted an in-depth case study of a Chinese manufacturer (i.e. Haier) using a longitudinal design. Three rounds of data collection were conducted between 2014 and 2020. The authors carried out 50 semi-structured interviews and 11 workshops to collect data from senior and middle managers of Haier and its business partners.FindingsThe authors found that Haier’s servitization journey includes three stages (i.e. product-oriented solution, integrated solution and smart connected solutions) that evolve in the target of the services and the digital components of the solutions. Haier has also developed three types of platforms (i.e. service platform, supply chain platform and platform ecosystem) to support the implementation of servitization. The empirical evidence reveals that platforms can address the complexities that emerged when Haier implements the different stages of servitization as well as enable Haier to transition from one stage of servitization to the next.Originality/valueThis study enhances the current understanding of the evolution of servitization and the roles of digital technologies in the transition between the stages of servitization. It also provides empirical evidence regarding how the platform approach enables the development of servitization. By clarifying the interplay between servitization and platforms, this study provides guidelines for managers on how to develop platforms to both advance and benefit from servitization.

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Planning of Hybrid Portfolios for Industrial Solution Providers in Machinery Engineering

Boßmann,

Kuhn,

Riesener

et al. 2023

Lecture Notes in Production Engineering

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A complexity management approach to servitization: the role of digital platforms

Cited by 41 publications

References 115 publications

The road towards industry 4.0: a comparative study of the state-of-the-art in the Italian manufacturing industry

The road towards industry 4.0: a comparative study of the state-of-the-art in the Italian manufacturing industry

Interplay between servitization and platforms: a longitudinal case study

Planning of Hybrid Portfolios for Industrial Solution Providers in Machinery Engineering

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