Impacts of digitization on servitization: cases in manufacturing companies

• Grant number: 18/06586-0
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: November 01, 2018 - April 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Production Engineering - Production Management
• Principal researcher: Glauco Henrique de Sousa Mendes
• Grantee: Glauco Henrique de Sousa Mendes
• Home Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Assoc. researchers: Alejandro Germán Frank ; Gilberto Miller Devós Ganga ; Maicon Gouvea de Oliveira ; Ricardo Coser Mergulhão

Abstract

Servitization and digitization are recent trends that have provoked changes in manufacturing companies. In essence, servitization is a transition journey in which manufacturing firms innovate the capabilities needed to deliver product service systems instead of their traditional product offerings. The digitization refers to the increasing use of digital technologies to connect people, systems, companies, products and services. It is one of important aspects of the so-called Industry 4.0. The recent literature has focused on understanding the interfaces between these two trends, once digitalization enhances the development of smart products and the provision of digital services. Likewise, the service portfolio increasing also requires the use of information and communication technologies. The main objectives of this project are: i) analyze the impacts of digitization on different servitization levels and, ii) propose a taxonomy of digitization-servitization strategies. Systematic bibliographic review and multiple case studies will be employed and the research results will be evaluated qualitatively. The main results are: analysis of the impacts of digitization on servitization, characterization of digitization-servitization strategies; identification of the resources and capacities that support each of the proposed strategies; set of managerial guidelines for the implementation of these strategies; and fostering a research theme that still is an incipient area. (AU)