Product-Service System Lifecycle Research Articles

Investigating social and environmental hotspots throughout the lifecycle of product-service systems in the early design stages

Product-Service Systems (PSS) have been recognized as potential game-changers for advancing sustainability. However, the sustainability of a PSS over traditional products and services is not automatic; it requires careful, intentional design. Despite a decade's progress in relevant literature, early-stage design assessment of a PSS – particularly from a life cycle standpoint and considering the social sustainability dimension – remains underexplored. This study introduces a framework for early-stage identification and analysis of potential environmental and social impacts within a PSS's life cycle to aid in decision-making and guide towards sustainable solutions. The framework's hotspot analysis, which combines life cycle assessment techniques, aims to pinpoint life cycle stages most susceptible to significant environmental and social impacts. Drawing on existing literature and expert evaluations, this approach offers designers preliminary insights into potential impacts, establishing a groundwork for comprehensive life cycle analysis once more detailed information on products, services, and organizational structures becomes available. The hotspot analysis not only addresses the lifecycle view of a PSS but also places emphasis on the oft-neglected social dimension of sustainability, marking an area ripe for further study. By supporting decision-making in the early design phase and encouraging scrutiny of various PSS concepts, this approach promotes the cultivation of sustainably-designed solutions.

Leveraging Natural Language Processing for enhanced remote troubleshooting in Product-Service Systems: A case study

In Product-Service System (PSS) offerings is crucial to deliver services in the shortest time to maximize customer satisfaction. One of the first contacts that customers have with the provider is usually through remote assistance delivered via telephone or email. Thus, the development of a structured troubleshooting procedure is fundamental for fast problem identification and resolution. While customers exchange with help desk technicians are saved in a company database, they are often lacking proper structure and, thus, are rarely analyzed. This poses a challenge since aggregated data can provide valuable insights for knowledge extraction and reuse, benefiting PSS lifecycle management and improvement (e.g., enhancing troubleshooting, maintenance service, or PSS design). The paper presents a case study where the textual data collected from the customer ticket database have been analyzed to extract the most recurrent problems and the frequently suggested solutions and improve remote troubleshooting.

Towards a novel Business, Environmental and Social Screening Tool for Product-Service Systems (BESST PSS) design

Product-Service Systems (PSS) have recently regained attention in the literature and industry due to their potential to contribute to sustainability. PSS are also enjoying renewed attention, currently, as the large societal focus on circular economy (CE) enforces the potential of PSS. However, PSS are not more sustainable than traditional offerings by default and they, therefore, must be designed with sustainability in mind from the early design stages and their sustainability potential screened already at a conceptual design stage. Existing approaches to screen PSS sustainability have conspicuous shortcomings regarding their lack of comprehensiveness, usability and focus on the conceptual design stage deemed crucial for the sustainability level of the future offering. There is poor coverage, in the literature, of approaches to sustainability-driven PSS design, and no consolidated approach to supporting a comprehensive consideration of sustainability aspects in the early stages of PSS conceptualisation. This paper introduces a qualitative tool and a process that support decision-making through ex-ante screening of PSS concepts for manufacturing companies based on the triple-bottom-line (TBL) sustainable value potential over the PSS life cycle. The tool was developed iteratively through three action research cycles focused on theory development and theory testing, within a manufacturing company. The tool and the implementation process are perceived as an effective and efficient way to screen PSS concepts through a comprehensive, yet readily applicable and usable approach by the industry practitioners.

Toward a reference terminology for product-service systems in the manufacturing domain

Recently, products and services have become joint commodities, in contrast to the traditional focus on products alone. Thus, modern industrial companies need to manage product-service systems (PSSs) as part of a competitive strategy. PSSs are comprised of complex, related products and services; stakeholders; processes; and environments. It is therefore important to identify, integrate, and manage information from different data-sources. This paper introduces the critical issues facing PSSs and provides reference terminology for PSSs in the form of an ontology. This ontology represents a generic PSS that not only adds value to the PSS design but also offers the potential to improve individual products and services in the system. Thus, in this paper, we aim to facilitate communication between stakeholders from different domains and integrate heterogeneous data from various data-sources during the PSS lifecycle. As a result, our paper supports the design and delivery of PSS components by providing a generic PSS ontology for the manufacturing domain, and a glossary of entities, with concrete, unambiguous definitions. The research that led to the development of the proposed generic PSS ontology resulted from the collaboration of several academic and industrial partners in two EU projects: DIVERSITY and FALCON.

The OMiLAB Digital Innovation environment: Agile conceptual models to bridge business value with Digital and Physical Twins for Product-Service Systems development

OMiLAB is a community of practice which offers a digital ecosystem bringing together open technologies to investigate and apply conceptual modeling methods for varying purposes and domains. One of the core value propositions is a dedicated Digital Innovation environment comprising several toolkits and workspaces, designed to support Product-Service Systems (PSS) prototyping – a key ingredient for PSS lifecycle management. At the core of this environment is a notion of Agile Digital Twin – a conceptual representation that can be tailored with knowledge engineering means to bridge the semantic and functional gap between a business perspective (focusing on value creation) and an engineering perspective (focusing on cyber-physical proofs-of-concept). To facilitate this bridging, the hereby proposed environment orchestrates, across three abstraction layers, methods such as Design Thinking, Agile Modeling Method Engineering and Model-driven Engineering to turn Ideation into smart Product-Service Systems experiments, in a laboratory setting. The proposed environment was built following Design Science principles. It addresses the problem of historically-disconnected skills required for Digital Innovation projects and it provides a testbed for feasibility experimentation. For design-oriented, artifact building research, a higher Technology Readiness Level can thus be achieved (compared to the level that idea development methods typically attain).

Stakeholders em sistemas produto - serviço: uma análise inicial da literatura

Objetivo – Os principais desafios para adoção de sistemas produto-serviço incluem a definição das necessidades, engajamento, coordenação, colaboração e satisfação de diferentes stakeholders envolvidos no ciclo de vida desses sistemas. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo responder as seguintes questões de pesquisa: Quais os papeis dos stakeholders nos sistemas produto-serviço? Quais as barreiras à colaboração entre os stakeholders e práticas existentes na literatura para superá-las? O objetivo do presente trabalho é então endereçar as questões de pesquisa com base em uma revisão de literatura.Desenho/metodologia/abordagem - Para desenvolvimento deste trabalho foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da literatura que considera a análise bibliométrica e análise de conteúdo.Resultados - Os resultados encontrados demonstram que este tema ainda é relativamente pouco explorado na literatura de sistema produto-serviço, o que contribui para a formação de uma visão fragmentada do papel dos stakeholders e sua relação com o sucesso desses sistemas.Originalidade/valor - O trabalho identifica os principais stakeholders e seus respectivos papeis, alerta sobre as principais barreiras à colaboração e sugere algumas práticas para evitá-las ou mitigá-las.Palavras-chave - Sistema Produto-Serviço; Stakeholders; Revisão de Literatura.

Methods and tools for the development of a Product-Service System: Proposal of a conceptual model

Goal: Present a holistic perspective of methods and tools for the development of Product Service Systems (PSS).
 Design/Methodology/Approach: The investigation was conducted in two phases. The first phase presents bibliographic and bibliometric analyses, where 132 papers were read in full. In the second stage, of conceptual development, bibliographic data was grouped and validated by PSS specialists through a questionnaire, whose responses were used to conceptualize a model for PSS development.
 Results: Elaboration of a concept of a model for the development of Product-Service Systems, capable of providing guidance for all stages of its life cycle.
 Limitations of the investigation: The proposed model was applied to the bike sharing business model. However, a limitation was the lack of some information regarding this case to apply some methods and tools proposed in the conceptual model.
 Practical implications: The model developed can be used as a guideline for the elaboration or improvement of a PSS proposal, since it provides structure and control to the business models.
 Originality/Value: The paper demonstrates its originality and relevance by presenting a model centered on a holistic approach, as it provides a perspective of the whole PSS life cycle. Thus, processes are planned and analyzed from the definition of requirements to the destination after use of the PSS.

ZOOMING IN ON PRODUCT-SERVICE SYSTEM ECODESIGNING: A NOVEL ANALYSIS APPROACH AND APPLICATION TO A CASE INVOLVING EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS

AbstractIn this article, we introduce a protocol analysis-based approach to analyze the cognitive characteristics of conceptual ecodesigning of product-service systems (PSSs). We initially present a novel and generic model to represent the lifecycle stages of solutions offered by industry and we contextualize it to PSS based offerings. Based on this representation of the PSS lifecycle stages and that of its architecture, we propose a multi-level coding scheme and a protocol analysis-based approach to analyze the distribution of designers' cognitive effort on the following three dimensions: i) different lifecycle stages, ii) different aspects of PSS architecture and iii) ecodesign activities and environmental issues. We applied this approach to analyze a conceptual PSS ecodesign case, performed in a laboratory setting by a pair of experienced practitioners. The results clearly indicate the evidence of quantitative differences in the distribution of the designers' cognitive effort on the different dimensions of PSS ecodesigning and thus, confirms the applicability and utility of the proposed approach.

Applying Distributed Manufacturing to Product-Service System Design: A Set of Near-Future Scenarios and a Design Tool

Product-Service Systems (PSS), if properly designed and implemented, represent a promising approach to sustainability. However, there is a number of organisational, cultural and regulatory barriers that hinder the widespread PSS implementation. In this paper, the authors investigated Distributed Manufacturing (DM) as a promising production model which can be applied to PSS to address some of its implementation barriers and improve its sustainability. To that end, existing PSS implementation barriers were collected and coupled with systematically analysed favourable DM features to describe a set of PSS+DM near-future scenarios, addressing the complete PSS lifecycle. Scenarios were then integrated into the PSS+DM Design Tool aiming to support idea generation for PSS implementation. The tool was tested with students, PSS and/or DM experts, manufacturing companies and design practitioners through two rounds of workshops in order to evaluate its completeness, effectiveness and usability and define recommendations for improvements. Based on the results, the improved final version of the PSS+DM Design Tool was developed, presenting the potential to support idea generation to improve sustainable PSS implementation through integrating DM features in each PSS lifecycle stage.

Towards a modelaing framework of collaboration in PSS development project: A review of key factors

Abstract Inter-enterprise collaboration is one of key important issues that affect the successful of a PSS (Product-Service System) project. This paper sets the bases of a global model that help characterizing and assessing collaboration processes along the PSS lifecycle. Based on a critical literature review of main papers dealing with collaboration issues, a list of ten key factors has been identified. Social capital theory is used to clarify the definitions and impacts of some of these factors. A UML class diagram of PSS collaboration processes is then proposed to connect these factors with other characteristics of PSS.

Extended Enterprise Model for PSS Within a Systems Engineering Perspective

ABSTRACTToday, firms are adopting Product‐Service Systems (PSS) business models requiring new designing, producing, and consuming methods. Systems engineering is a promising solution addressing the PSS development and life cycle management complexity. Following this perspective, this paper focuses on organizational capabilities representation as part of the PSS enabling systems. Two UML diagrams propose to clarify the structure and to characterize the collaborative processes behind this virtual organization. The proposed systems engineering based modeling framework functions as a background for the design and management of collaborations along the PSS life cycle.

Exploring Opportunities of IoT for Product–Service System Conceptualization and Implementation

Product–service systems (PSS), integrating physical products and services, currently play a crucial role in sustainable economies. In addition to the highly competitive global economy, the emergence of new digital paradigms is supporting the shift toward servitization. Although the great potential of such paradigms is recognized by both practice and research, their implications for PSS are not yet clear. In particular, features of Internet of Things (IoT), such as total connectedness and ubiquity of smart sensors and actuators, provide various new opportunities for PSS. This study explores such opportunities by conducting structured literature review and 13 interviews. We organize the findings in two folds: First, we introduce four degrees of IoT involvement in PSS business models and elaborate the opportunities that they create for different types of PSS. Second, we present the key technologies and approaches that IoT provides concerning PSS lifecycle management.

An Integrated Design Framework for Virtual Enterprise-Based Customer-Oriented Product-Service Systems

Product Service System (PSS) design has been witnessed to achieve tremendous progress in recent years. Researchers and practitioners have proposed many frameworks to deal with variety of challenges along PSS lifecycle. However, despite the common sense of four fundamental constituent components of PSS-products, services, supported network and supported infrastructures, majority of them only focus on collaborative design of products and services, and few of them attach importance to supported network. The framework we proposed in this paper introduces the Three-Dimensional Concurrent Engineering (3DCE), which is widely recognized in product design field, into PSS design, in order to achieve the integrated product service offerings, processes and supported network design, hoping to bridge the gap of supported network design in a PSS. Meanwhile, this framework adopts Virtual Enterprise (VE) as a manifestation of supported network in order to provide the system with variety of skills, resources and supported infrastructures in an effective and dynamic way. What’s more, due to the increasing significances of customers, this framework takes both customers’ requirements and providers’ requirements into consideration, and is dedicated to address a win-win solution for both with the help of PSS design and assessment techniques.

The Product Service System Lean Design Methodology (PSSLDM)

Purpose Nowadays manufacturers companies are increasingly compelled to navigate towards servitization. Different methods and approaches were proposed in literature to support them to switch from traditional product-based business model to product service systems (PSSs). However, new knowledge, capabilities and skills were needed to consistently develop PSSs, since they need a joint focus on both customer’s perspective and company’s internal performance and at the same time a proper support for the integration of product and service design. The purpose of this paper is to propose the Product Service System Lean Design Methodology (PSSLDM), a structured methodology to develop PSSs along their entire lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach Retrieving concepts from interpretative, interactive and system development research traditions, and strongly reminding the design research methodology framework, the adopted research methodology is composed of three main phases (observation and conceptualization, theory building and tool development, validation) and involved three heterogeneous companies. Findings This paper provides an overview of the PSSLDM, explaining how the different methods supporting its conduction should contribute to properly design an integrated PSS. Moreover, companies highlighted several benefits in the different stages along the PSS lifecycle deriving by the adoption of the PSSLDM. Research limitations/implications The development of a platform based on the PSSLDM methodology raises a discussion on the possible changes needed by current Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) models and systems when they have to do with PSSs. Originality/value The PSSLDM enriches the already proposed SErvice Engineering Methodology, introducing new several components linked by lean rules in each of its phases (starting from customer analysis, going through solution concept and detailed design, until the offering analysis) and better supprting the deatil design of both prodcut and service components.

A customer-oriented model of product-service system lifecycle

A product-service system (PSS) is an integrated bundle of products and services, which aims at creating customer utility and enhancing manufacturers' competitiveness. Given that products and services are integrated over a specific cycle, PSS lifecycle has become a key notion in PSS research. However, most studies focus on PSS lifecycle from a provider perspective although the essence of PSS is to create customer utility. The current work proposes a customer-oriented model of PSS lifecycle as a solid basis for analysing PSS lifecycle from a customer perspective. The proposed model comprises one general and three specific types of PSS lifecycle (product-, use-, and result-oriented PSS). The proposed model is expected to be utilised to supplement the existing studies to consider the PSS mechanism from a customer perspective. A concrete notion of PSS lifecycle from a customer perspective may contribute to customer-oriented PSS innovations.

Product-Service Systems lifecycle models: literature review and new proposition

The demand of global solutions to support customer’s new expectations encouraged the development of the Product-Service Systems (PSS), which are complex solutions incorporating physical products and a non-physical services. PSS have been studied in many areas, among which data management is one of the most recent. A promising application in PSS data management is the use of its lifecycle information to improve PSS offer and related activities. In order to achieve this lifecycle approach, the first step is to identify a representative model of PSS lifecycle phases, which is the goal of this work. Pursuing this objective, a review on PSS lifecycle models was driven and compared to previous works on product and service independent lifecycles, leading to the proposal of an adapted PSS lifecycle model.

Industrial Product-Service System modelling base on Systems Engineering: Application of sensor integration to support smart services

Product-Service System (PSS) has been proposed as a promising value-creation strategy to handle the new market’s challenges. Despite the numerous proposed methodologies, PSS development is still a perennial topic of debates. To solve this issue, either product or service development processes are adopted. Though, a customised development process according to PSS characteristics seems more efficient. In this context, Systems Engineering (SE) could be advantageous since it supports the integration of the interconnected heterogeneous components of PSS. Moreover, industrial PSS is highly tight with the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs). This integration improves the manufacturers’ capability in the information capturing and eases the service providing. Consequently, the sensing system, either as a component of service or a service enabler, plays a crucial role in PSS. As a result, managing the interfaces between the sensor, product and service is necessary for PSS integration. This paper aims to explore the idea of using SE recommendation for PSS modelling to integrate different viewpoints in PSS lifecycle. To do so, the deployment of SE to integrate sensing system in PSS has been explored as an industrial use case.

A customer-oriented model of product-service system lifecycle

A customer-oriented model of product-service system lifecycle

Proposal of a framework for product-service systems characterization

Abstract Product-service systems (PSS) design raises new issues, among which the need of encompassing a life cycle perspective. The aim of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework for PSS characterization through its life cycle. The purpose is to understand the structure, the sequence, and the main characteristics of PSS life cycle phases, characterizing a PSS process model. A systematic literature review was carried out to identify the PSS life cycle phases and the conceptual elements that characterize each phase. The PSS life cycle was structured based on service life cycle from the customer perspective. Afterwards, the conceptual framework was built for PSS characterization considering business model, engineering and design aspects that may be useful to guide PSS solutions development. The paper aims to make a theoretical contribution by understanding what should be done and how to perform the activities during PSS life cycle at a systemic level. Keywords Product-service systems. PSS. Design. Life cycle management. Conceptual framework.

A Lean PSS design and evaluation framework supported by KPI monitoring and context sensitivity tools

Over the last decade, Product-Service System (PSS) has been established as a prominent business model which promises sustainability. A great amount of literature work has been devoted to PSS issues, but there is fairly limited published work on integrated and easily applicable evaluation methodologies for PSS design, as well as a lack of Lean PSS approaches. Contributing to these directions, the present work introduces a framework for the evaluation and improvement of the Lean PSS design using key performance indicators (KPIs), Lean rules, and sentiment analysis, aiming to feed all the stages of PSS design lifecycle. According to the evaluation phase, a certain appropriate set of KPIs is selected and suggested to the PSS designer via a context-sensitivity analysis (CSA) tool through a pool, which have been identified after intensive literature survey, and systematically classified into five main categories: design, manufacturing, customer, environment, and sustainability. According to the same phase, sentiment analysis has been used to identify the polarity of the customer opinions regarding the PSS offerings. During the phase of Lean design assistance, Lean rules are selected using CSA and are suggested to the designer to ensure the minimization of wasteful activities. Enabler for the context awareness is the availability of feedback gathered from the manufacturing, shop-floor experts, and the different types of customers (business or final-product consumers), as well as the PSS lifecycle which the designer treats. The proposed framework is implemented in a software prototype and is applied in a mold-making industrial case study.