Context Of Product Service Systems Research Articles

Identifying rebound effects in product-service systems: actors, mechanisms, triggers and drivers

AbstractThe implementation of product-service systems (PSS) is prone to the occurrence of rebound effects (RE). This research aims to systematically identify the rebound mechanisms in a PSS context. Through the case study of a use-oriented PSS offer, we showcase a structured way to address RE that led to a comprehensive mapping of 23 mechanisms. The analysis demonstrates an approach to mapping rebound triggers, drivers, and mechanisms within the actors’ realms that designers can apply to ensure the potential sustainability gains of PSS offers.

Smart experience-oriented customer requirement analysis for smart product service system: A novel hesitant fuzzy linguistic cloud DEMATEL method

Smart product service system (PSS) has become an essential strategy to transform towards digital servitization for manufacturing companies. By leveraging smart capabilities, smart PSS aims to create superior user experience in a smart context. To develop a successful smart PSS, customer requirement management from smart experience perspective is necessary. However, it is a challenging task to identify and evaluate diverse, implicit and interrelated smart experience-oriented customer requirement (SEO-CR) in smart PSS context. Hence, this paper proposes an effective methodology to elicit and analyze SEO-CRs. At first, a generic, two-dimensional SEO-CR system is presented as a basis to derive the tailored SEO-CRs for various smart PSS applications. Second, a novel HFLC-DEMATEL (hesitant fuzzy linguistic cloud-based Decision-making and trial evaluation laboratory) method is proposed to accurately evaluate the priority and complicated interaction of SEO-CRs, considering the hesitancy, fuzziness and randomness under uncertain decision environment. Some new operations (e.g., cloud total-relation matrix and weight determination method) and a cloud influence relation map are developed to fully take advantage of cloud model in DEMATEL implementation. Finally, a real case of smart vehicle service system (SVSS) is presented. The 18 SEO-CRs of the SVSS are derived based on the generalized SEO-CRs. By using HFLC-DEMATEL, some important SEO-CRs in context of SVSS are identified, such as autonomous and convenience. The finding of results can help designers make proper decisions in design and development of SVSS with a superior smart experience. The effectiveness and reliability of the proposed method are validated by conducting some comparative analyses.

A framework for cost estimation in product-service systems: A systems thinking approach

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are increasingly undergoing a transition into the offering of Product-Service System (PSS) solutions. This transition has proven to be a difficult challenge characterised by inadequate contract decisions due to cost under-estimations and performance overpromises. Despite the relevance of cost estimation for the OEM’s transition into the PSS scheme, little research attention has been received until recently for the development of cost estimation frameworks appropriate for the PSS context. To fill this gap, this paper proposes a framework for cost estimation in the PSS context based on the “systems-thinking” approach, composed of a set of iterative modules and methodological foundations that bring into discussion several properties relevant to the PSS context. A numerical control multi-axis machine centre PSS is illustrated to evidence the capability of the framework to analyse the cost impacts on both the customer and on the OEM side and to support the design and improvement of PSS configurations and associated contract mechanisms.

A study of the rebound effect on the product-service system: Why should it be a top priority?

The increasing intensity of competition, environmental pressures and diversification of customer demands call for integrated solutions, and this circumstance has propelled the product-service system (PSS) into a central position to satisfy consumer requirements and sustainability agendas. However, it is essential to emphasise that not all shifts toward PSS result in sustainability. Even when well-designed, PSS could generate unwanted side effects, usually referred to as rebound effects. Unfortunately, the study of rebound effects within PSS is constrained by the classical concept, which is concerned only with energy efficiency and its environmental impact. It is crucial to develop transitional awareness in observing the rebound effect on PSS by performing an in-depth assessment. This study aims to expand the discussion about the potential rebound effect within the PSS context and propose a framework for the PSS-rebound effect from a life cycle perspective. This study classifies and comprehensively depicts the rebound effect inside the PSS concept, highlighting the various features and cases/types of PSS based on current literature. Then a method is proposed to identify types of rebound effects, their causes and their period of occurrences within the product’s life cycle based on three sustainability characteristics. Case studies are provided to illustrate the application of the framework to identify the PSS-rebound effect relationship from the life cycle perspective. The result is beneficial for identifying potential rebound effects associated with PSS implementation to foster sustainability.

An integrated framework of user experience-oriented smart service requirement analysis for smart product service system development

The rapid deployment of digital technologies drives the conventional product service system (PSS) to shift into a new paradigm known as smart PSS. Empowered with smart capabilities, smart PSS has great potential in creating positive user experience (UX). The requirements analysis is an essential task for successful development of smart PSS with strong UX. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of research on the requirement analysis of smart PSS by incorporating smart-enabled UX perspective. Hence, this paper proposes a framework of user experience-oriented smart service requirement (UXO-SSR) analysis for smart PSS development. At first, the relevant factors (e.g., user personas and activity journey) are integrated to conceptualize the UX in smart PSS context. Second, a four-phase model is proposed for identifying UXO-SSR, which can provide an effective tool for acquiring UX requirements of smart PSS from holistic perspective. Third, a novel asymmetric trapezium cloud-based uncertain linguistic BWM approach is developed to evaluate the priority of the identified UXO-SSRs. The approach can appropriately handle the hybrid uncertainties (i.e., hesitancy, fuzziness and randomness) of linguistic evaluation information, thereby improving the accuracy of evaluation results. Finally, a case study of smart sleep service system is presented to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of the proposed framework.

FUZZY-BASED FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGING INTER-ENTERPRISE COLLABORATIONS IN PSS CONTEXT

AbstractOne of the biggest challenges of companies developing new solutions is how to properly manage the different relationships with external partners, especially in the case of Product-Service Systems (PSS). Developing a PSS requires for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to rethink the organization and roles of the different stakeholders regarding the characteristics of such environments. This paper aims to introduce a methodology to build a framework for inter-enterprise collaboration performance assessment and its corresponding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). An extensive list of KPIs is established from key factors of collaboration performance and organizational characteristics in PSS context. Finally, further steps of the methodology are discussed where fuzzy techniques are used.

The management of customer requirements in a product-service system context: a case study in the medical equipment sector

The paper addresses the evaluation of customer requirements (CRs) in the implementation of services in a product-service system (PSS) context. The extension of services has expanded considerably, yet their correct combination with products is still problematic to manufacturers. Services are characterised by ambiguities and vagueness, hindering their effective implementation. Conventional product design tools such as quality function deployment (QFD) are limited when comprehending the intangibility of services and hence, evaluating and prioritising customer requirements. To address this topic, QFD is adapted to a service context through the integration of the fuzzy logic and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as a means of reducing inaccuracies. The approach is applied to a case study in the medical field and its results are compared to the traditional QFD to analyse its outcomes and the effectiveness of the augmentations in increasing the usefulness of QFD in a PSS context.

The management of customer requirements in a product-service system context: a case study in the medical equipment sector

The paper addresses the evaluation of customer requirements (CRs) in the implementation of services in a product-service system (PSS) context. The extension of services has expanded considerably, yet their correct combination with products is still problematic to manufacturers. Services are characterised by ambiguities and vagueness, hindering their effective implementation. Conventional product design tools such as quality function deployment (QFD) are limited when comprehending the intangibility of services and hence, evaluating and prioritising customer requirements. To address this topic, QFD is adapted to a service context through the integration of the fuzzy logic and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as a means of reducing inaccuracies. The approach is applied to a case study in the medical field and its results are compared to the traditional QFD to analyse its outcomes and the effectiveness of the augmentations in increasing the usefulness of QFD in a PSS context.

A novel data-driven graph-based requirement elicitation framework in the smart product-service system context

Nowadays, industrial companies are facing ever-increasing challenges to generate new value-in-use and maintain their high competitiveness in the market. With the rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), IT is embedded in the products themselves, i.e. smart, connected products (SCPs) to generate values. Hence, an emerging value proposition paradigm, smart product-service system (Smart PSS) was introduced, by leveraging both SCPs and its generated services as a solution bundle to meet individual customer needs. Unlike other types of PSS, in Smart PSS, massive user-generated data and product-sensed data are collected during the usage phase, where potential requirements can be elicited readily in a value co-creation manner with context-awareness. Nevertheless, only few scholars discuss any systematic manner to support requirement elicitation in such context. To fill the gaps, this research proposes a novel data-driven graph-based requirement elicitation framework in the Smart PSS, so as to assist engineering/designers make better design improvement or new design concept generation in a closed-loop manner. It underlines the informatics-based approach by integrating heterogeneous data sources into a holistic consideration. Moreover, by leveraging graph-based approach, context-product-service information can be linked by the edges and nodes in-between them to derive reliable requirements. To validate its feasibility and advantages, an illustrative example of smart bicycle design improvement is further adopted. As an explorative study, it is hoped that this work provides useful insights for the requirement elicitation process in today’s smart connected environment.

A BIM-based PSS Approach for the Management of Maintenance Operations of Building Equipment

The service-centered economy has grown considerably in the last few years, shifting from product-based solutions towards service centered offerings, i.e., Product-Service System (PSS) solutions. Such an approach is also emerging in the context of building equipment, where maintenance activities play a fundamental role in facility management. In this field, Building Information Modeling (BIM) based tools are diffusely used to improve the performances of facility management. However, few studies have addressed the above issues while considering a shift from product-based approaches in favor of more advanced servitization models. The study aims at integrating BIM based approaches in a PSS context for the improvement of the management of maintenance operations of building equipment. A general framework for maintenance management has been developed, merging the implementation of the PSS components in a BIM model for the definition of maintenance management. A first application of this methodology to a real case study concerning the elevators of an existing building has shown the efficacy of the proposed approach. The study highlighted the benefits that can be achieved, especially in terms of reduced periods of equipment unavailability, reduced costs and augmented customer satisfaction, while enhancing the information exchange between the PSS actors. Hence, although further research is still needed for its validation, the proposed approach can offer practical insights for the development of promising BIM-based PSS solutions for facility management in the construction industry.

Decision-Support System-based Service Delivery in the Product-Service System Context: Literature Review and Gap Analysis

Manufacturing companies are revolutionizing the way they deal with customers, trying to satisfy their emerging needs with new, Product-Service System-centered (PSS), offerings. The shift towards this offering and its implementation are not easy since the proposal of badly structured offerings leads to unsatisfactory results for all the stakeholders. To obtain the maximum value in use, the way products and services are sold and delivered must be configured properly. In view of this, proper conceptualization, design and engineering methodologies must be adopted, along with suitable Decision Support Systems (DSS) to support them. DSS could help decision-makers in improving the service delivery process, proposing its scheduling, or deciding which kind service and how to provide it to customers. To be effective, DSS must be fed with right data and, in this sense, the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies results crucial since the availability and exploitation of new, big, and structured datasets could improve DSS reliability. The aim of this work is to investigate how the presence of a DSS focused on service delivery process can enhance PSS offering in the context of Industry 4.0. The authors used a set of keywords related to PSS, service delivery process, DSS and Industry 4.0 to perform the research on the Scopus database. Following, they filtered results according to parameters of interest and, after reviewing the papers’ pool, they identified the final set for the review. The analysis highlighted a gap in literature due to the lack of researches around the improvements in the service delivery process achievable through the implementation of smarter DSS exploiting the Industry 4.0 technologies.

Barriers for the digitalization of servitization

The use of digital technologies can increase firms’ performance and competitiveness. In product-service system context, digital technologies can improve both the innovation process, by facilitating the orchestration and collaboration, and the outcome, since they can offer new functionalities and deliver value through a digital solution. Although the benefits and possibilities of digital technologies in the PSS have been previously addressed by research, several questions and gaps regarding the barriers encountered in the digitalization of the innovation process and the innovation outcome remain unanswered or unfulfilled. To that end, this article applied a qualitative approach with two focus groups to understand what barriers are perceived by researchers and consultants, and managers. Results show that consultants perceive more strategic barriers, whereas managers perceive more operational barriers. We also found that financial and data security barriers are among the most important for digitalization. Our results show that outcome barriers are perceived to a higher extent than process ones. In this sense, in the innovation process, barriers are more focused on operational and human-resource aspects, such as data security, and competences and training. Whereas in the outcome, the barriers are more related to strategic and operational aspects, namely: market acceptance, financial and short-term vision.

Smart Product-Service Systems Solution Design via Hybrid Crowd Sensing Approach

The third wave of information technology (IT) competition has enabled one promising value co-creation proposition, Smart PSS (smart product-service systems). Manufacturing companies offer smart, connected products with various e-services as a solution bundle to meet individual customer satisfaction, and in return, collect and analyze usage data for evergreen design purposes in a circular manner. Despite a few works discussing such value co-creation business mechanism, scarcely any has been reported from technical aspect to realizing this data-driven manufacturer/service provider-customer interaction cost-effectively. To fill this gap, a novel hybrid crowd sensing approach is proposed, and adopted in the Smart PSS context. It leverages large-scale mobile devices and their massive user-generated/product-sensed data, and converges with reliable static sensing nodes and other data sources in the smart, connected environment for value generation. Both the proposed hybrid crowd sensing conceptual framework and its systematic information modeling process are introduced. An illustrative example of smart water dispenser maintenance service design is given to validate its feasibility. The result shows that the proposed approach can be a promising manner to enable value co-creation process cost-effectively.

Exploring technology-driven service innovation in manufacturing firms through the lens of Service Dominant logic

This paper attempts to explore technology-driven service innovation in manufacturing firms. It addresses the characteristics and ‘smartness’ of services provided by manufacturing companies and large OEMs within the context of product service systems enabled by Industry 4.0/IoT technologies (i.e. digital servitization).The paper takes ten different IOT-based service systems, and through the lens of Service Dominant (SD) logic analyses the different approaches used in service innovation. The dimensions used for the analysis are ‘service ecosystem’, ‘service platform’ and ‘value co-creation’.It was found, in some cases, that the proposed innovations cannot be considered ‘smart’ through the lens of SD logic, since they contribute little to value co-creation and to the development of ecosystems. Nevertheless, this does not negate their usefulness. We further discriminate between the different approaches to digital servitization, respectively app-ization and system-thinking. Last, the paper highlights that enabling technologies are provided by players that differ in terms of service scope and capabilities to run the service operations.

Complexity in Product-Service Systems: Review and Framework

This study systematically reviews the existing research literature on product-service-systems (PSSs) to analyze the nature and characteristics of complexity in the PSS context. While mastering the PSS strategy can become a competitive advantage for manufacturing companies, moving to providing advanced services through PSSs increases the complexity of the offering and its implementation. How the manufacturing company can manage this complexity plays a critical role for the success of its PSS strategy. Although research in PSS strategies has grown significantly in recent years, and the existing literature recognizes that complexity is a common feature in PSS, the nature and content of complexity experienced by manufacturing companies remains largely unexplored. Based on a systematic literature review approach, this study develops a conceptual framework of complexity in PSSs. Following systematic search and screening procedure, 23 articles addressing complexity in the PSS context are identified and form the sample of the review. Using content analysis methods, four dimensions of complexity in PSS are identified in the articles: multiplicity, diversity, interdependence, and variability. The four dimensions are explained and elaborated. The review demonstrates that a major research gap exists in the field, and thus suggest several research avenues for further studies.

Using design rules to guide the PSS design in an engineering platform based on the product service lifecycle management paradigm

Nowadays, product service systems (PSSs) and smart products are surging in the market and acquiring a strategic role for companies' survival. Manufacturers, compelled towards the transformation process into PSS providers, have to face the challenge of building up knowledge for successfully providing such complex solutions, also resorting to the help of more effective IT systems and tools. The need to adopt a collaborative design platform is starting to be raised also in the PSS context, since companies often have a lack of knowledge for providing PSS. This work, grounded on a combination of lean and DfX-based theories, is aimed at improving the knowledge formalisation and sharing with the support of IT tools. In this sense, the lean design rules tool (LDRT), able to manage the PSS design knowledge generated is proposed and integrated in a more holistic engineering environment able to interact with product lifecycle management (PLM) systems.

Using design rules to guide the PSS design in an Engineering Platform based on the Product Service Lifecycle Management (PSLM) paradigm

Nowadays, product service systems (PSSs) and smart products are surging in the market and acquiring a strategic role for companies’ survival. Manufacturers, compelled towards the transformation process into PSS providers, have to face the challenge of building up knowledge for successfully providing such complex solutions, also resorting to the help of more effective IT systems and tools. The need to adopt a collaborative design platform is starting to be raised also in the PSS context, since companies often have a lack of knowledge for providing PSS. This work, grounded on a combination of lean and DfX-based theories, is aimed at improving the knowledge formalisation and sharing with the support of IT tools. In this sense, the lean design rules tool (LDRT), able to manage the PSS design knowledge generated is proposed and integrated in a more holistic engineering environment able to interact with product lifecycle management (PLM) systems.

Can Social Sustainability Values be Incorporated in a Product Service System for Temporary Public Building Modules?

The temporary constructions industry has cost efficiency and sustainability challenges that may require new innovative business models as well as product and processes. This paperaims to discuss how social sustainability services can be included in product service system (PSS)by investigating a case where employment is offered in distributed temporary building module manufacturing in the PSS context. The case has been evaluated against PSS literature. Recent reviews and literature on inclusion of social sustainability and PSS for buildings were used. It is concluded that the current concept fits basic definitions of PSS although it is not typical. The social value of employment is difficult to evaluate and inclusion in PSS needs further research. Design practice could be used to further develop the services in the studied concept.

Quantitative Assessment of the Impact of Alternative Manufacturing Methods on Aeroengine Component Lifing Decisions

Static structural aeroengine components are typically designed for full lifetime operation. Under this assumption, efforts to reduce weight in order to improve the performance result in structural designs that necessitate proven yet expensive manufacturing solutions to ensure high reliability. However, rapid developments in fabrication technologies such as additive manufacturing may offer viable alternatives for manufacturing and/or repair, in which case different component lifing decisions may be preferable. The research presented in this paper proposes a value-maximizing design framework that models and optimizes component lifing decisions in an aeroengine product–service system context by considering manufacturing and maintenance alternatives. To that end, a lifecycle cost model is developed as a proxy of value creation. Component lifing decisions are made to minimize net present value of lifecycle costs. The impact of manufacturing (represented by associated intial defects) and maintenance strategies (repair and/or replace) on lifing design decisions is quantified by means of failure models whose output is an input to the lifecycle cost model. It is shown that, under different conditions, it may not be prudent to design for full life but rather accept shorter life and then repair or replace the component. This is especially evident if volumetric effects on low cycle fatigue life are taken into account. It is possible that failure rates based on legacy engines do not translate necessarily to weight-optimized components. Such an analysis can play a significant supporting role in engine component design in a product–service system context.

Economic and environmental evaluation of design for active disassembly

Prior research has demonstrated that a disassembly based end-of-life (EoL) treatment for electronic products is characterized by the highest recovery rates for precious metals (PMs) and non-commodity plastics, such as flame retardant plastics. Nonetheless, EoL electronic products are nowadays also commonly recycled without disassembly in different types of size-reduction based treatments or in an integrated PM smelter-refinery. This disparity of recycling processes adopted worldwide resulted in a high uncertainty on the EoL treatment processes that will be adopted for discarded electronic products. As a result, governments, original equipment manufacturers and recycling companies struggle to determine the economic and environmental value of design for disassembly. For this reason, a methodology is presented to calculate the Composite Rate of Return (CRR) on investing in design for disassembly and the resulting environmental impacts. This methodology is applied to evaluate the economic and environmental benefits of implementing three types of active fasteners for eleven electronic products which are available in both a product service system (PSS) and a traditional sales oriented business model. The performed analyses demonstrate that the preferred EoL treatment, as well as the economic and environmental benefits of implementing design for active disassembly, strongly depends on several product properties and boundary conditions. Based on the performed sensitivity analysis, the application of active pressure and temperature sensitive fasteners is expected to be only economically viable for products placed on the market in a PSS context, in which they will be separately collected with a high collection rate. Furthermore, impulse sensitive elastomer based fasteners are characterized with the highest rate of return and considered to be suited for both products sold in a traditional sales oriented business model and for products used in a PSS.