The role of performance measurement in developing industrial services

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine inter-organisational cooperation in delivering maintenance services, focusing on the level of maturity of this cooperation and the current role of performance measurement in evaluating its effectiveness. It also determines how performance measurement should be developed to support the needs of networked maintenance. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical evidence is based on two cases of networks operating in the field of industrial maintenance. The first network operates in the energy industry, while the second operates in the mining industry. Both networks consist of machine supplier companies, performance partner companies and system supplier companies. A total of seven companies participated in workshops and interviews in 2013-2014. Findings – As a result of the study, suggestions for improving the performance measurement of service value in maintenance are presented and a framework is offered that meets the needs of the customer, service provider and equipment provider. The significant innovation of the research is its combination of network, service and value perspectives in performance measurement by presenting a framework for measuring created value of cooperation. Originality/value – The literature calls for new measurement models and frameworks that support the new management challenges. This research creates a framework for practical applications. The framework helps to identify possible development needs and increases the understanding of what is required when cooperation in a maintenance network deepens, moving from machine partner towards value partner.