Strategic framework for industrial product-service co-design: findings from the microsystems industry

Abstract

Co-design represents an approach to the concurrent and collaborative design of systems. In an industrial context, firms adopt this approach to minimise risks/costs of new product development and to improve interactions along supply chains. For an industrial firm that delivers integrated product and service offerings i.e. an industrial product-service system (IPS2), co-design needs to be strategised in line with: (i) the IPS2 logic that challenges firms to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of operations and (ii) customer needs during life cycles. This article presents a multi-methodology-based study of the management of co-design within the context of an IPS2. It adopts a multi-case logic supplemented with key informant semi-structured interviews to capture implementations of co-design and how an IPS2 can be strategised to leverage the benefits of co-design. The article also highlights and discusses the resulting implications of the findings of the study for researchers and practitioners and potential future research directions.