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2015
Conference Paper
Title
How digitalization can accelerate the transformation from manufacturer to service provider
Abstract
Purpose: This article intends to contribute to the discussion about the increasing digitalization of manufacturing industries. In more detail, it tries to specify the influence of the digital revolution on the transformation of manufacturers into service providers and hence, on the servitization process in industries in general. The aim is to deliver first findings about the drivers of and barriers to digitalization with respect to industrial service offers. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses existing theoretical concepts about the transformation of manufacturers as well as a concept about the influences of digitalization on this transformation. By means of a cross literature analysis, this article derives overall drivers of and barriers to the increasing digitalization of industrial service offers. Findings: We identified eight factors which influence the digitalization of service offers in terms of triggering or hindering this process. These factors are embedded into existing theoretical concepts to construct a new framework considering digitalization in the servitization trend. Originality/value: This article delivers a first conceptual approach to clarifying the role of digitalization in the context of servitization and gives insights into the drivers and barriers concerning the propensity of manufacturers for using digitalized service offers.
Conference