Service offers as competitive strategy in industrial firms - why strategic relevance does not necessarily leads to service success

Service offers are highly diffused in industrial firms. But, while numerous manufacturers generate a relevant turnover with services, a significant share of companies is still struggling with its service business. A possible reason for this situation may be seen by the relevance of services within the competitive strategy of manufacturers. But yet, little is known about the role of service-oriented competitive strategies in industrial firms. Are so called service strategists, more successful with service offers than other manufacturers? Which companies hold service-oriented competitive strategies and how they differ from other industrial service providers? For answering these questions, this paper gives first insights into the role of service strategists in German manufacturing industries and their characteristics by means of the German Manufacturing Survey 2012. Based on the results, we derive implications for the strategic management of industrial companies for supporting decisions about the involvement of service-oriented competitive strategies of manufacturers.