Product Service System Design Research Articles

Guidance on the Conceptual Design of Sustainable Product–Service Systems

The product–service system (PSS) has great potential to promote the circular economy (CE) and sustainability. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of associating social values with sustainable PSS because social actors, including stakeholders, institutions, and communities, are the key to organizational innovation and behavior change. However, it is still not clear how companies can incorporate the social context into service strategies and co-create sustainable value with their stakeholders. Through overall discussions on related studies, this concept paper proposes theoretically based guidance for developing sustainable product–service offerings in the early planning phase. A case scenario of recycling is presented to demonstrate the operation of the proposed approach. The results suggest that companies should expand the scope of their understanding of customer problems beyond the product use. Engaging in social issues such as skill empowerment and job creation can generate long-term benefits and strengthen the brand image. In addition, working with communities and other enterprises via incentives or interactive activities can foster open innovation for CE. The proposed approach serves to assist designers in handling more comprehensive contexts of sustainability and allow better preparations for resource integration in the early PSS design phase.

BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT-SERVICE SYSTEM DESIGN: PROPOSAL FOR A CONVERGENT APPROACH FOR DESIGNING SUSTAINABLE AND INNOVATIVE BUSINESS MODELS

This paper presents the results of a research on the applicability of the sustainable product-service system design (S.PSS) and business model design, adopting Business Model Canvas as a main tool. This resource is an essential part of an integrated and modular methodology for research and development (R&D) that was designed to support the development of new materials, products and business models from solid waste, but also useful in other projects focused in sustainable innovation. The research methodology included, beyond critical literature review, the construction of the methodological model, including one-page briefs for each tool incorporated in the model. The results pointed out that is possible to combine sustainability and business in a comprehensive and feasible method to improve the quality of R&D projects on solid waste, in a more systemic way.

Ontology-Based Framework Enabling Smart Product-Service Systems: Application of Sensing Systems for Machine Health Monitoring

Providing an integrated product-service system (PSS) supported by cyber-physical systems, as a smart solution, is increasingly offered by industrial machinery. In this approach, instead of providing products with after-sale services, the value proposition is mostly based on guaranteeing a trustable operation. As a result, capturing and analyzing information from a machine’s condition during its lifespan becomes an essential part of the smart PSS. Enabling this through lifecycle monitoring, sensing devices are at the core of smart PSS. Thus, the optimal configuration of PSS components is a critical step to ensure the efficiency of the solution. PSS design challenges arise because of the differences between characteristics and specifications of the embedded sensing system and the product. To fulfill this challenge, knowledge extraction and reuse from these domains is crucial during the design process. To do so, a sensor ontology is used as the backbone of the PSS knowledge-based framework. The focus of this paper is on defining the embedded sensing systems tailored to industrial PSS and the use of these systems in providing customized services. As part of the ICP4Life platform, this paper presents a sensing system ontology as a framework to support the smart services in industrial machinery PSS. An industrial use case is conducted to validate the efficiency of the proposed ontology and to show the benefits of the ICP4Life platform to reduce time and cost of PSS development processes.

Lessons learned from a successful industrial product service system business model: emphasis on financial aspects

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify the elements of the product-service system (PSS) business model of a Brazilian company that has been running it for almost 50 years. It describes the PSS business model and gives special attention to the financial aspects of PSS implementation and to contingent factors of this emerging country.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on a single case study. Data have been collected through interviews and document analysis. Results and implications are obtained using Canvas framework to structure information and comparison between theory and practice.FindingsResults described in this paper show that the PSS design and implementation can be strongly influenced by financial and contingent factors. This case indicates that the implementation of PSS business models can follow diverse paths and configurations to fit with companies’ organizational features, local regulations and economic factors, including mixed transactional models and less demanding financial assessments.Originality/valueThis paper provides a roadmap of lessons learned from a multinational manufacturer that has been following the PSS business model for almost 50 years. This paper offers key insights concerning financial aspects and contingency factors that might influence servitization adoption.

Product-service system (PSS) complexity metrics within mass customization and Industry 4.0 environment

The design and evaluation of product-service systems (PSS) constitutes a challenging problem due to its multidimensionality. This challenge becomes bigger when the PSS customization is required within the new manufacturing paradigm of Industry 4.0. Nevertheless, limited literature work is observed regarding the customization of PSS and the PSS investigation within the Industry 4.0. Towards bridging these gaps, the present research work proposes a methodology for the quantification of PSS customization complexity, considering Industry 4.0 aspects. The proposed metrics are applied in a real industrial case study from a large laser machining industry, aiming to evaluate the different PSS alternatives in terms of complexity. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach can support the strategic level decision-making of a company, by quantifying the complexity and producing additional meaningful information towards the selection of the product and services that could be designed and offered to the customers.

A method to design integrated product-service systems based on the extended functional analysis approach

Over the recent years, the growing research interest in Product-Service Systems (PSS) design and development methods has generated a large background of theoretical knowledge, conceptual methods and application case studies. After analysing the research gaps emerging for these advances, this paper propose a new integrated PSS design method, which intends to associate to 3 key contributions: an increased degree of integration among all components of the method; a higher applicability in industrial companies; specific added-value in balancing economic models of the stakeholders of the PSS delivery network. The proposition is based on extending the Functional Analysis (FA) approach (NF X 50-100), which is commonly used in product engineering, in order to cover the requirements for PSS design and development. The paper intends to provide a conceptual justification, then an industrial verification, of the pertinence and applicability of the method proposed. The industrial experimentation is developed on an industrial PSS case study dealing with the design of an industrial cleaning solution.

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.

PSS design through Design for Supply Chain: State of the art review

Design for X (DfX) approaches are very important for designing products with a focus on whole lifecycle, to achieve cost reduction and product quality. The move to achieve competitiveness and unique offerings have resulted in the switch from a product to a Product Service Systems (PSS) business model. DfX concept is insufficient to address the complexity of PSS, therefore, additional concepts such as Design for Product Service Supportability (DfPSSu) are emerging. Existing research argued the role of support in ensuring customer satisfaction, revenue generation etc., which strengthens the motivation for PSS and servitization. The integration of support services into PSS has initiated the focus on DfPSSu, aiming at the synergic use of the different DfX approaches to concurrently support the services with the product features according their own heterogeneity. PSS complexity necessitates collaboration within the Supply Chain (SC) to deliver value to the customer, yet existing research focuses on individual firms. This highlights the importance of value creation in Design for SC (DfSC) in order to achieve competitiveness. This research would explore DfX from a value creation perspective while investigating the place of DfSC into the DfPSSu concept. This because DfSC encourages innovation in linking product design, process design and SC design together, according to the Concurrent Engineering paradigm. While there is need to DfSC, this idea is under-researched in literature. This paper would share the findings from a state of the art review of DfSC in relation to DfPSSu, identifying the evolution of the concept while identifying much research gap in understanding and application of this concept in theoretical and empirical research.

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.

Systematic Prototyping of Product-Service Systems

Industrial companies are permanently facing challenges regarding the development of Product-Service Systems (PSSs) due to the integration of different components into a holistic system and the need of integration of several contributors, especially customers, during the design and performance process. The use of prototypes is a promising approach to master these challenges, but if PSS prototypes are currently applied during the development process, the use often intuitively concerns the selection of the prototype as well as the timing of its use during the design process. In a systematic PSS design process, prototypes should be applied efficiently and systematically. Consequently, this paper presents at first a general literature scan regarding suitable PSS prototypes. Based on these findings, a structured state-of-the-art compilation of PSS prototypes is composed. In the following step a PSS Prototype Application Chart, which supports the efficient and targeted use of prototypes during the PSS development process, is introduced. The proposed chart integrates the PSS prototypes into the PSS design process and supports PSS developers to identify a suitable prototype for their individual PSS design project.

The Integrated Design of Product-Service Systems using the DIVERSITY Platform: An Application Case

Companies are nowadays struggling to intercept the new needs arising from the market through the proposal of new offerings to customers and consumers. Simultaneously, they are facing the complexity connected to the transition toward the provision of an offering composed by a mix of products and services, namely the Product-Service System (PSS). As a matter of fact, currently, there is a lack of methods and tools able to support the integration of products and services, which constitutes a pivotal aspect in the PSS design. In response to this, the DIVERSITY Project developed a methodology (the Product-Service System Lean Design Methodology - PSSLDM) and a platform (the DIVERSITY Platform) built upon the concept of integrated design. This paper describes the application of the DIVERSITY instruments in CAREL S.p.A., showing the benefits of the new integrated approach.

Towards (pro-)active intelligent products

Intelligent product research and applications are progressing rapidly. This development driven by the advances of ICT technology, product lifecycle focus, product-service systems (PSS), cloud computing, social network services, in short, the abundance of communication means and (user) data. Despite this rapid development, intelligent products are still rather passive in nature. In this study, we aim to investigate the future direction of intelligent products. The central research question is whether intelligent products are becoming more (pro-)active and/or socially active with subsequent questions regarding associated requirements and demands, barriers and challenges and information needs. To answer these questions, we conducted guided expert interviews and qualitative content analysis. The results indicate that the direction of intelligent products is moving towards a more (pro-)active future. We discuss how this new development is contributing to smart manufacturing as well as PSS design and operation and suggest an extension of two classification models for intelligent products.

Towards a framework to design upgradable product service systems

Besides the inherent potential of being an environmentally sustainable solution, the Product-Service System (PSS) business model equips manufacturers to capture customer values, and realize profits dispersed throughout the whole product life cycle. PSS features such as upgradability can provide further opportunity to increase manufacturer’s revenue streams while satisfying consumers’ evolving preferences and thus be perceived as value-adding. Even though several PSS design methodologies were introduced in recent years, none of them focuses specifically on the upgradability aspect of PSS. The purpose of this paper is to identify key upgrade-enabling design features and provide a literature review on existing PSS design methodologies with a specific focus on their adoption towards an upgradable PSS design framework. Additionally, this paper proposes a conceptual design framework that emphasizes upgradability for PSS, in this initial stage focused on the beginning of life. This initial literature-based framework will be evaluated and expanded in future research to reflect the requirements of practitioners and academics.

Product Service Systems: A Sustainable Design Strategy for SMEs in the Textiles and Leather Sectors

Sustainability is no longer an optional facet of production. Concrete actions are needed from every actor in society to achieve more efficient, responsible, and innovative ways of producing, consuming, and living. Businesses, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), are key actors in the drive toward sustainability. Product Service Systems (PSS) are an alternative for SMEs willing to make the transition towards more sustainable operations, but they remain an unknown quantity for many companies. In this article we present findings from two recent studies on the design of sustainable PSS for SMEs. Our main objectives are to inform designers, design managers, and policymakers about the advantages a sustainable PSS offers to SMEs seeking more sustainable operations, and discuss SMEs’ operational needs should they wish to innovate using PSS.

Data Mining through Early Experience Prototyping -A step towards Data Driven Product Service System Design

The construction industry is ripe for disruption through innovative solutions that provide added productivity. Equipment manufacturers are attempting to disrupt their industry with investments in autonomy, electrification and product-service system business models. Designing solutions that will operate in completely new systems or modify an existing complex system require new approaches to address the uncertainty of system impacts. An iterative approach can help tackle ambiguity through cyclical validation of design decisions. Data mining in each cycle adds a quantitative dimension to the rationale of decision making, but data is sparse and difficult to collect in parallel with design of theoretical product-service systems operating in future scenarios. This can be combated using experiential prototyping techniques to design flexible infrastructure that supports contextualized data gathering in a variety of focused design sprints using Design, Build and Test approach. The intricacy of designing innovative solutions to increase productivity in the construction industry can be untangled by framing aspects of the problem in small sprints and testing them in a contextualized setting built to generate functional data to drive design.

Data-driven value assessment of packaging solutions

Research in Product Service Systems design increasingly focuses on how to develop ‘capabilities’ for assessing the value of solutions already in a design project fuzzy front end. A data-driven approach shall then guide engineers in the process of identifying what to develop, and not merely to verify if a solution meets (or not) performance requirements. This process of frontloading problem identification and solution generation activities with models is of high interest to raise quality and lower risk and cost for the development work. The objective of the paper is to explore the use of a data-driven approach to enable value prediction of packaging material configurations in early design. Its main objective is to present a methodological approach and a framework to connect high-level aspects of customer value with simulations and analysis conducted on the mechanical properties of packaging material.

A product service system design for energy provision

Today's market moves from product sale to service sale in many areas. This is often a win-win situation for both companies and their customers. Companies may increase their profit by increasing the efficiency of their products, whereas the customers do not deal with the operational hassles, such as maintenance or repair of the assets. The service base approach affects not only the provider and the customers but also other players within the chain like manufacturers of devices that use the utilities. Thus, the shift from product-based utility provision to a service-based one has the potential to create a greater impact on reaching sustainable and eco-friendly solutions. This paper suggests and discusses a new idea of result-oriented service-based utility provision with its opportunities and challenges. This suggested approach offers a radical shift in the responsibility of implementing relevant energy efficiency measures of assets from end users to the providers.

Integrating usage information into quality function deployment for further PSS development

Product service systems (PSSs) acquired great attention in the era of the Internet-of-Things and cyber physical systems. Developing a method connecting usage information obtained through use processes with further product and service developments is necessary. This study uses grey-box modeling approach integrating a model-based PSS design with data-driven improvement through usage information and proposes an extension of the quality table in the quality function deployment methodology, including “usage’s quality required by manufacturer” and “quality element of user” as usage information. The framework enables new evaluation processes showing how product’s functions affect user’s usage and how user’s characteristics affect product quality.

A new method for Product Service System: the case of urban waste management

The growing attention on environmental and social sustainability issues is pushing companies to move towards new business models. In this context, PSS (Product Service System) seems to be one of the most suitable model to foster the transition to sustainable economic models. The PSS is composed of a mix of tangible products and intangible services. The method proposed in this paper supports the PSS design. The objective of this work is to integrate careful assessment of economic, environmental and social sustainability supporting the transition towards new business models and strategic company decision-making. The method is then validated through a case study on the management of urban waste.

Modeling resale value of road compaction equipment: a data mining approach

Resale value is an important aspect to be addressed when companies aim to shift from one-sale models to Product Service Systems (PSS). In the initial stages of the PSS design process, it is beneficial to predict how the mechanical features of the PSS hardware will impact resale value, so to orient business strategy decisions accordingly. The objective of this work is to propose a methodology to model the resale value of road compaction equipment using data mining techniques. By scrapping and merging data sets from the machine manufacturer and from dealers of second-hand machines, the work discusses how the derived correlations may be used to populate value models for early stage decision making.