Digital servitization in manufacturing: A systematic literature review and research agenda

Abstract

This paper addresses how servitization is facilitated by the adoption of digital technologies and presents a review of the literature on this subject. The paper aims to characterise the phenomenon of ‘digital servitization’ by examining how the literature describes the convergence between servitization and digital technologies as well as to identify areas for future research developments. The systematic review of the available scientific literature revealed limited but rapidly growing coverage of the phenomenon by scientific studies, which have mainly focused on the role of a few digital technologies (above all, the Internet of Things), studied in isolation. The research has mainly adopted an empirical, case-based methodological approach, mostly investigating the industrial equipment, automotive, and IT industries and focusing on the role of digital technologies for the implementation of intermediate and advanced services. This picture calls for future research endeavours to extend the scope of investigation into digital servitization (regarding the technologies covered and their combinatory effect, the potential benefits, and the application domains) and to develop models and frameworks to support decision-making by practitioners.