Towards Ecosystems with Smart Product-Service Systems

Abstract

Product-service systems offer a hybrid value proposition consisting of product and service solutions. Upgrading traditional product-service systems to smart product-service systems by incorporating individuality and flexibility via data exchange into the value proposition enables addressing a variety of needs of a variety of stakeholders. With the use of the Internet of Everything and platform technology, ecosystems can systematically be designed around smart product-service systems. In this paper we demonstrate how a novel design architecture for smart product-service systems transitions customer needs via platform technology into platform-based product-service ecosystems. Furthermore, the definition of a platform-based product-service ecosystem is provided along with the distinction to platforms and platform software. The paper focuses on the conceptual design of platform-based product-service ecosystems and therefore incorporates requirements engineering and -management as well as the design architecture of the ecosystem. The conceptual design is implemented using a configurable drone with multiple sensors and actuators as the smart product-service system. The data of the drone is refined into information and further into knowledge and is shared with multiple stakeholders such as OEM, private user, third parties, suppliers, shipping companies, insurance providers. Cumulocity IoT of Software AG is used to connect the stakeholders to the smart product-service system enabling the demonstration of the value proposition towards all stakeholders within the ecosystem and also towards the ecosystem-specific mechanics, that allow autonomous growth.