Recognizing readiness in manufacturing firms

Abstract

This article presents a framework for manufacturers to assess their readiness for taking a service design approach to the development of product-service systems (PSS). The framework is developed from the results of interviews with three manufacturing firms that have begun the servitization journey. The selected companies have traditionally been involved in goods production, and have recently started engaging with services in different ways. The readiness framework attempts to bridge the previous studies and models offering companies a self-assessment tool based on the service implementation readiness measured along nine dimensions that apply to manufacturing firms to adopt a more customer-centric approach that fits into their company and suits their needs.