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A comprehensive, practical introduction to one of the most important new trends in manufacturing, globally
The delivery of a service component as an added value when providing products, servitization is all the rage in the manufacturing sector around the world. Yet, despite the clear competitive advantage of servitization, most manufacturers remain reluctant to venture into, what for them, is a strange new world. Written by a team of internationally respected servitization experts and innovators, this book provides you with a detailed road map for successfully navigating the servitization terrain. Unlike most authors on the subject who merely sing the praises of servitization, Baines and Lightfoot provide you with a framework for accessing the feasibility of adopting a services-led competitive strategy in your company, along with strategies for designing and implementing the kinds of service offerings customers increasingly are coming to expect.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013
Table of Contents
Title page
Copyright page
Dedication
Preface
Foreword
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Terminology and Scope
1.2 Knowledge Base
1.3 What’s New Here?
1.4 Navigating This Book
Part 1: Business Context
Chapter 2: Business Context for Servitization
2.1 An Economic Perspective
2.2 An Environmental Perspective
2.3 A Market and Social Perspective
2.4 A Technology Innovation Perspective
2.5 A Knowledge Perspective
2.6 Summarizing the Business Context
Part 2: Competing through Services
Chapter 3: Elements of Servitization
3.1 The Challenge of Visualizing What it Can Mean to Servitize
3.2 A Process of Servitization
3.3 Defining Base, Intermediate and Advanced Services
3.4 Features Commonly Coupled to Advanced Services
3.5 A Summary of Advanced Services
Chapter 4: Business Implications of Advanced Services
4.1 Setting Out to Explore Financial Performance
4.2 Services, Revenues and Profitability
4.3 Motivations of Manufacturers Providing Advanced Services
4.4 Motivations of Customers Adopting Advanced Services
4.5 A Roadmap of Servitization and Advanced Services
Part 3: Service Delivery System
Chapter 5: Delivery of Advanced Services
5.1 Searching for Leaders
5.2 A Perspective Against the World of Production
5.3 Advanced Services and Product–Service Systems
5.4 Service Delivery System for Advanced Services
5.5 Key Capabilities of a Service Delivery System
5.6 Chapter Summary
Chapter 6: Performance Measures and Demonstration of Value
6.1 A Pyramid of Performance Measures
6.2 Customer Facing Measures of Performance
6.3 Macro Internal Measures of Performance
6.4 Local Internal Measures and Indicators of Performance
6.5 Demonstration of Value
6.6 Chapter Summary
Chapter 7: Facilities and Their Location
7.1 Facilities in the Delivery of Advanced Services
7.2 Impact of Facilities and Their Location
7.3 Mitigating the Need for Co-Location
7.4 Chapter Summary
Chapter 8: Vertical Integration and Organizational Structure
8.1 Organizational Structure in the Delivery of Advanced Services
8.2 Vertical Integration in the Delivery of Advanced Services
8.3 Impact of Vertical Integration and Organizational Structure
8.4 Mitigating the Need for Integration
8.5 Chapter Summary
Chapter 9: Information and Communication Technologies
9.1 ICT Architecture in the Delivery of Advanced Services
9.2 Monitor
9.3 Transmit and Store
9.4 Analyse and Respond
9.5 Impact of ICT Capabilities
9.6 Chapter Summary
Chapter 10: People Deployment and Skill-Sets
10.1 Deployment of Staff in the Delivery of Advanced Services
10.2 Behaviour and Skill-Sets of Front-Office Staff
10.3 Culture, Leadership and Incentives in the Front Office
10.4 Impact of an Integrated Skill-Set
10.5 Chapter Summary
Chapter 11: Business Processes
11.1 Services Processes in a Production Environment
11.2 Business Processes in the Delivery of Advanced Services
11.3 Proactive Processes as the Core for Advanced Services Delivery
11.4 Chapter Summary
Part 4: Readiness to Servitize
Chapter 12: Starting a Transition
12.1 Summarizing Servitization, Advanced Services and their Delivery System
12.2 A Readiness to Servitize
12.3 Overcoming the Obstacles to Transformation
12.4 The Journey Continues
Appendix: Acknowledgements and Guiding Studies
Index
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Baines, Tim, 1962–
Made to serve : how manufacturers can compete through servitization and product–service systems / Tim Baines and Howard Lightfoot.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-118-58531-3 (cloth) – ISBN 978-1-118-58527-6 (ebk) – ISBN 978-1-118-58528-3 (ebk) – ISBN 978-1-118-58529-0 (ebk) 1. Manufacturing industries. 2. Warranty. I. Lightfoot, Howard, 1947– II. Title.
HD9720.5.B35 2013
658.8′12–dc23
2012049218
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-118-58531-3 (hardback) ISBN 978-1-118-58527-6 (ebk)
ISBN 978-1-118-58528-3 (ebk) ISBN 978-1-118-58529-0 (ebk)
Cover design: Rogue Four Design
To Captain . . . thank you (TB)
To my son Gavin, who always fills me with pride (HL)
Preface
Manufacturing and services industries are often seen as independent. Whether discussing the economies of nations, classification of businesses, education and training, or employment, they are treated as separate. Yet manufacturers themselves can base their competitive strategies on services, and the process through which this is achieved is commonly known as servitization (or servicization). The commercial benefits of servitization are convincing (Rolls-Royce Plc earn around 50% of their revenue from services); the environmental arguments compelling (significant reductions in materials and energy usage); and the opportunities immense (three-quarters of wealth worldwide is now created through services).
Servitization can be approached in various ways. Some manufacturers simply add more and more individual services to complement their product offerings, while others develop bespoke, long-term and intimate offerings with a few strategic customers. Seeing themselves as service providers, they exploit their own design and production competences to deliver and improve business processes for their customers. We refer to this latter category as advanced services. These product–service systems demand dramatically different operations to those of production, but when done well are highly valuable to the commercial and environmental sustainability of the manufacturer. The challenge is to understand these services, what they can look like in practice, how to deliver them successfully, and when it makes sense to do so. Our purpose is to guide conventional manufacturers through this challenge.
The book is laid out in four parts. First, we explain why services-based competitive strategies are increasingly appealing by reflecting on the wider business context that is now common for manufacturers. Second, we examine different forms of services, their financial benefits and the risks they incur, and introduce an organizational system for their successful delivery. Third, we describe the practices and technologies that constitute this system. We explain and illustrate each in detail, examining their role and significance in the delivery of advanced services. In the final part of this book we help managers to evaluate the relevance of servitization to their own manufacturing organization.
This book is intended to impact on industrial practice. Our goal is to guide the thoughts and actions of senior executives, managers and engineers, within manufacturing business, that are debating the value and consequences of a servitization strategy. In this way, it is also intended to support students on vocational educational programmes. Servitization is treated from the viewpoint of the conventional manufacturer. The content draws heavily on the practices of leading companies such as Rolls-Royce, MAN Truck and Bus, Caterpillar (and dealers), Alstom and Xerox, together with relevant research in this field. Over recent years we have extensively studied the journeys of these companies to become successfully servitized manufacturers. As for style, we have set out to be pragmatic and use a straightforward language that is frequently illustrated with data and examples, with each section beginning with a quick reference guide.
So, is the scope of this book relevant to your organization? Don’t be put off by the strange word of servitization; all manufacturers can gain some value through services if they are delivered efficiently and effectively. Similarly while we expect manufacturers who operate in a business-to-business environment to readily associate with our book, the terminology and examples we use simply reflect and celebrate that much progress has been made by such companies to compete through services. If your organization has engineering and production competences, then this book is relevant. Indeed, as we point out later, these competences are foundational to success through servitization.
Foreword
Manufactured goods, whether they be high cost capital machinery or vehicles, are becoming more and more commoditized. Globalization and use of technology has enabled such items to be produced at much lower costs and there has also been a significant increase in the speed of imitation and copying.
It is no longer sufficient to justify the capital cost of such goods with the standard explanation of the features and benefits. Such claims are increasingly required by the customer to be underwritten with lifetime service agreements and guaranteed cost of operation.
This is the essence of the transformation to a servitized organization that manufacturers need to consider if they are to sustain future business and differentiate themselves from the competition.
In my experience this is a transformation that is not easy and may not be for every organization. It is not only technology that is forcing these changes but increasingly cultural, leadership and management capabilities that are being tested.
The real challenge for a servitized organization is that you put yourself in the shoes of the customer and experience what it is like to deal with your own organization. The benefits of such a transformation is that you become part of feedback loop that enables the organization to evaluate the performance of the product ‘in service’ and if executed correctly will ring fence the business from the competition whilst providing valuable R&D information for future product development.
In the case of MAN Truck and Bus the product is the entry ticket into a future business/profit stream that is obtained from the financing, servicing and parts supply through the life of the vehicle. It also proves the point that in the capital goods market that sales sell the first item but all future sales depend on your service organization. This is where reputations, brand image, customer satisfaction and retention as well as profitability are determined.
In this book Tim and Howard describe how organizations are configured when they are successful at servitization, and how this differs to the more conventional view of manufacturing. Quite simply they present a pragmatic vision of a future for many manufacturers in developed economies.
Des Evans, CEO, MAN Truck and Bus UK Ltd
Chapter 1
Introduction
The world once seemed simple, manufacturers made things and services companies did things for us. Today, more and more manufacturers are competing through a portfolio of integrated products and services. This is a services-led competitive strategy, and the process through which it is achieved is commonly referred to as servitization. Celebrated icons of such strategies in action include Rolls-Royce, Xerox and Alstom, who all offer some form of extended maintenance, repair and overhaul contracts where revenue generation is directly linked to asset availability, reliability and performance.
Servitization is, however, much more than simply adding services to existing products within a few large multinational companies. It’s potentially about viewing the manufacturer as a service provider. A service provider that sets out to improve the processes of their customers through a business model rather than product-based innovation. The manufacturer then exploits its design and production-based competences to give widespread improvements in efficiency and effectiveness to the customer.
Manufacturers have, however, traditionally focused their efforts on product innovation and cost reduction. Companies such as Porsche and Ferrari have been celebrated for bringing new and exciting designs into the market, while companies such as Toyota have been held in awe for their work with Lean production systems. These successes can foster a perception that the only way for manufacturing to underpin competitiveness is through new materials and technologies, faster and more reliable automation, machining with more precision, waste reduction programmes, smoother flow of parts, employee engagement, and closer coupling within the supply chain.
Services offer a third way to compete. This is not an ‘instead of’ or ‘easy option’ for companies that are struggling to succeed. Indeed, delivering some types of advanced services can require a set of technologies and practices that are every bit as demanding as those in production. Neither does this require the manufacturer to abandon its technology strengths; instead these can be developed to help ensure long term competitiveness. Consequently, there is a growing realization that such services hold high-value potential.
Ironically, manufacturers competing on the basis of service provision is not a new phenomenon. In the 1800s, International Harvester used services to help establish their new reaping equipment among farmers in the American Midwest. Similarly, origins of power-by-the-hour lie partially in the practices of Bristol Siddeley in the 1960s. Perhaps what is new is our willingness as a business community to recognize that ‘manufacturing’ is not just about product innovation, process technologies and production. We are abandoning a production-centric paradigm to embrace a broader view of manufacturing.
A few manufacturers have been following this route for some time. To illustrate, over the past 20 years there has been an intense debate in the West about the rights and wrongs of outsourcing and off-shoring to China and India. Many in manufacturing have held out hope that the tide would in some way turn. While some production activities have been relinquished, key manufacturers have been quietly moving forward in their supply chains to take over service activities carried out by their customers. Services have been key to their survival, and as a consequence our language and perceptions are now changing.
Conventional manufacturers can struggle, however, to appreciate the value of services. Managers often seek such a simple explanation of servitization that they fail to appreciate how such a strategy is likely to be of significant benefit. This is often the case with organizational rather than technological innovations. In the early 1980s it was difficult to imagine that ‘Just-in-Time’ would endure, and yet today it’s hard to identify a single manufacturing company that has not been touched by Lean techniques in one way or another.
Servitization is a similar paradigm shift. Success requires managers to hold a different mindset or worldview to their colleagues in production. The challenge is equivalent to persuading a manager skilled in Lean techniques to appreciate the value in craft production. Yet some niche producers excel through their exploitation of such systems (e.g. Holland & Holland in their manufacture of high-value sporting guns). So, how can the value of services be thoroughly introduced and explained to those who are more familiar with a production-centric view of the world? This is the challenge we have taken up in this book.
Our purpose is to guide conventional manufacturers through the concept of servitization. To achieve this we have tackled the topic in four progressive steps. First, we set about illustrating the conditions in the business world that are causing services to become increasingly relevant for manufacturers. Second, we give illustrations and examples of a services-led competitive strategy, and pay particular attention to those ‘advanced’ services that are widely associated with servitization. Third, we paint a picture of what it takes to compete on the basis of advanced services, and delve into the technologies and practices that leading manufacturers have adopted. Finally, we summarize the conditions that favour the take-up of servitization within a manufacturer.
Collectively, these four parts outline a potential organizational transformation. Our goal has been to explain servitization in such a way that mainstream manufactures will, through following this book, be better equipped to fully understand the relevance of this concept to their broader operations.
The word ‘services’ conjures up a variety of interpretations. The later sections of this book will clarify many of the key terms in detail. Here we give a few critical descriptions that provide a foundation for the following chapter and indicate the general scope of the book – as the following headings indicate.
All forms of organizations deliver services. In everyday life we come across many organizations that seem entirely engaged with delivering services alone, such as banks, insurance brokers, local government, schools, and hospitals. Sometimes these companies use product nomenclature (for example, an insurance product or a mortgage product) and have many similarities with conventional production systems. However, we consider these as ‘pure-service providers’ and do not study them further.
This book is written for those businesses that engage in product manufacture. We adopt a broad definition of manufacturing and take it to mean that the company has some authority over the design and production of the products with which it deals. We recognize that this terminology does not rest comfortably with some companies who are advanced in servitization. Xerox, for instance, would describe themselves as a services-led technology company; others might choose to be known as a solutions business or services provider. However, we use the term manufacturing simply to anchor the content of this book, and draw a distinction for these organizations from pure-service providers.
Our intention is to impact all forms of manufacturing. Unfortunately many of the leading examples of servitization are businesses which are large, and produce expensive and technically complex products. Yet such companies are not our exclusive target; many lessons in this book are generally applicable.
The word service can be used in different ways. For example, service can refer to how well an action is performed (‘that was good service’). Alternatively it can be used to refer to an activity; (e.g., helpdesk, maintenance, training or spare parts provision). Our focus is on the latter use of the word service; activities that a manufacturer can perform to complement the products it produces. All manufacturers offer services to some extent, but some establish market differentiation through these, and so can be thought of as following services-led competitive strategies.
Servitization is a term given to a transformation. It is about manufacturers increasingly offering services integrated with their products. Of these, some manufacturers choose to servitize by offering an extensive portfolio of relatively conventional services. Others move almost entirely into pure services, largely independent of their products, and provide offerings such as general consulting. Others still move to deliver advanced services.
Advanced services are a special case in servitization. Sometimes known as outcome, capability or availability contracts, here the manufacturer delivers services (coupled with incentivized contracting mechanisms) that are critical to their customers’ core business processes. The contracts associated with this type of offering frequently extend over many years, with the manufacturer adopting greater risk by taking responsibility for the performance of its products, and being rewarded through ongoing and more profitable revenue streams. ‘Power-by-the-hour’, as offered by Rolls-Royce, is an iconic example of such a service.
These advanced services can hold high value for manufacturers. They can help strengthen relationships, lock out competitors, grow revenues and profits. As a consequence these are the services on which this book is concerned. Our particular focus is on manufacturers taking bold moves into providing advanced services as summarized in Figure 1.1.
Figure 1.1: The servitization route addressed in this book
Servitization involves both the innovation of the service offering and also the innovation of the manufacturer’s internal capabilities in operations. This delivery system is just as important as the offering itself. Just as Henry Ford changed the world, not just through the design of his automobile (the Model T), but also his system of mass production that enabled high volumes of products to be produced at a very low price.
Production systems deliver products; advanced services are delivered by product–service systems. These systems are based on very different interactions with the customer. Figure 1.2 illustrates how each of these systems may appear, based around the example of the provision of excavator equipment.
Figure 1.2: Contrasts between a production system and product–service system
In the production world the manufacturer produces the equipment (the excavator in Figure 1.2). When this is sold the manufacturer is rewarded financially. Although the customer may only want to use the equipment, to do so it has to first raise finance for its purchase, and then provide the necessary consumables (e.g. fuel, lubrication, tyres). They also have to monitor the equipment’s performance and, should a problem begin to arise, the customer invariably performs some diagnostics before then arranging maintenance and repair. These services may well be carried out by either the customer themselves, the original manufacturer, or an independent repair shop on the customer’s behalf. Eventually the equipment wears and needs replacing. Once again the customer becomes engaged, both in new equipment selection, and the disposal of the old. This is a transactional-based ‘production and consumption’ business model; the responsibilities of ownership lie with the customer, and the revenue stream for the manufacturer is largely based around product sale and spare parts.
Within a PSS, the manufacturer still produces the equipment. However, ownership and the associated responsibilities are not necessarily transferred to the customer; rather the manufacturer sets out to provide a ‘capability’ (an excavation capability in the case of Figure 1.2). Understanding the customer’s requirement, the manufacturer rather than the customer then takes responsibility for equipment selection, consumables, monitoring of performance, and carrying out servicing and disposal. In return the manufacturer receives payment as the customer uses the capability that the equipment provides. This is a ‘value in use’ business model; the responsibilities for equipment performance lie with the manufacturer, who receives revenue as the equipment is used by the customer.
Neither production systems nor product–service systems operate in isolation. Both are supported by an ecosystem of suppliers and partners; but the roles of these differ from one system to another. In particular, the financial partner is a critical enabler that is often overlooked. Try asking how a manufacturer such as Rolls-Royce affords to provide gas turbines typically costing $10,000,000 on a power-by-the-hour contract? How can they afford to ‘own’ the gas turbine on their balance sheet? In this instance partners such as International Leasing and Financing Company (ILFC) can finance the purchase of the turbine and then lease it to the customer (user). This fee then forms part of the customer’s monthly payments on the power-by-the-hour contract. We will explore the role of suppliers later in the book, and pay particular attention to how they enable this financial model.
This book focuses on the broad operations of the servitized manufacturer. Just as many authors have given their attention to understanding Lean practices and technologies that support production, our goal has been to understand the system that has to be created to deliver advanced services efficiently and effectively.
The practices and technologies differ in six key areas. As summarized in Figure 1.3, those manufacturers who are successful in the delivery of advanced services create facilities that are co-located and distributed throughout customers’ operations; these are vertically integrated to ensure control over responsiveness and continuous improvement, and are staffed by personnel who are flexible, relationship builders, service-centric, authentic, technically adept and resilient. These people work with processes that are integrated into their customer’s operations and, supported by remote asset monitoring, help to manage proactively the condition, use and location of assets in the field. The whole system is controlled by measures that are those of the customer and focused on outcomes, and yet complemented by tactics that broadly demonstrate value across the operations.
Figure 1.3: Practices and technologies key to delivering advanced services
Occasionally this is described as a ‘service delivery system’ for advanced services. Such terminology is sometimes favoured by scholars as it helps to capture the complexities, interactions and interdependencies of delivering these services. We use such terms sparingly, and instead favour more traditional terminology that is more readily understood by practitioners. We must though emphasize that we take a broad view of operations, and include within our scope the interactions with customers and partners that come together in a broad relationship to deliver services.
A final note on scope. The challenges of servitization reach beyond operations. Success demands the right offering, to the right customer, for the right application. In this way, the content we present is intended as a complement to texts that, for example, examine the design and marketing of services.
This book represents the culmination of an extensive research programme that has set out to understand in-depth the strategies of world-leading servitized manufacturers. When we started on this programme we realized that our success would depend critically on:
Our knowledge base was therefore derived from three sources. First, throughout this programme we have studied closely Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, Alstom Transport (particularly the Train Life Services division), Caterpillar (including selected dealers in the UK and USA), MAN Truck and Bus and Xerox. Table 1.1 gives a brief introduction to the principal activities of these core collaborators. These companies have been exceptional hosts. In all cases they have granted access to their facilities, introduced our team to partners within their extended supply chain, and arranged interviews with key customers. To illustrate, at Caterpillar we conducted multiple case studies of their own operations as well as key dealers and customers in Europe and the USA. Such studies included facility visits, in-depth interviews with staff ranging from vice presidents through to field service engineers and operatives, and the collection of a broad data set about performance and practices.
Table 1.1 Examples of advanced services
We are extremely grateful for the openness shown by our core collaborators. In return, we have taken care to protect the anonymity of individual personnel and avoid reference to overly specific company data. It is important to stress that although our case companies have engaged with us throughout the research process, the interpretations presented across these companies are our own.
Second, this in-depth process has been complemented by also looking across a wide range of industries. While our core collaborations have allowed us to dig deep into services and their delivery, we have also surveyed many other manufacturing companies to ensure that we have a broad and representative knowledge base. Execution of the programme soon revealed that we would not be able to share the names of organizations and people with which we have worked. Many businesses were, for example, willing to grant access and share their experiences only on the condition that we would not reveal their identity when presenting and discussing our results. We have respected their requests.
Finally, we have systematically reviewed articles, reports and papers emanating from the wider research base. As part of this process we have held hundreds of conversations and private briefings with managers and engineers, along with workshops, conferences and industry forums. We have ourselves contributed to conferences and journals, and received feedback from the respective research communities on our contributions.
Our resultant knowledge base is a distillation of the data from these three sources. Yet there have also been many people who have contributed, both directly and indirectly, to this programme of research. Many academic and industrial colleagues have provided critiques of our work and suggestions on how to improve. We are immensely grateful for their input. In Appendix 1 we acknowledge their participation in, and contribution to, this study.
Our purpose is to guide manufacturers through the concept of servitization, in particular advanced services, and how to deliver these successfully. So, what is new about this topic, and what is new in this book?
Our challenge with this topic has been twofold. Those readers who are new to servitization will want to feel enlightened and enthused, while those who are familiar with the topic will demand to know significantly more about its complex concepts. This challenge is formidable in itself, but heightened by the limitations in the current knowledge base on servitization. There are particular tensions with:
History has a habit of repeating itself. In the early 1980s researchers were struggling to convey the virtues of Just-in-Time. The exemplars were from the automotive industry and companies like Toyota didn’t stand out for profitability. What was new anyway? Inside a Toyota factory you will see many of the concepts pioneered by Henry Ford; standardized parts, division of labour and moving production lines. Perhaps only 20% of the way Toyota operated was significantly different. Through the late 1980s the language consolidated. Simple changes occurred, such as the word ‘quality’ generally being taken to refer to conformance to specification rather than inspiring a philosophical debate. In the early 1990s our knowledge of Just-in-Time consolidated, it translated into Lean, and today Toyota is the world’s largest automotive manufacturer.
So, what was it those people just couldn’t see in the 1980s? We’ve been through a paradigm shift in our ideas of how to organize design and production for efficient manufacture. As time moves on and the business environment continues to evolve, so too our ideas will continue to evolve; not abandoning those of the past but, just like Toyota, subsuming much of what has gone before. But make no mistake, as a community our knowledge base of servitization lags far behind that of Lean. Perhaps we are in the equivalent of the mid-1980s. This is not to suggest that it will take 30 years before the topic is mature and well understood, but rather that our knowledge base is fragile and will continue to evolve. This places a special challenge on you the reader.
