Towards an operations strategy for the infusion of product-centric services into manufacturing:service systems implementation

The work in this chapter is concerned with product-centric servitization. This is where a portfolio of services are formed and integrated to support product availability and use. Such servitization can be a valuable source of revenue for a manufacturer, yet little attention has been given to the configuration of the wider operations strategy that needs to be in place to deliver integrated products and services successfully. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to put forward a generic set of characteristics for such operations. Our intention is that these characteristics will be valuable to practitioners contemplating sophisticated forms of servitization, as they suggest the likely and significant changes that will be needed to the operations strategy of a conventional manufacturing organisation.

Challenges of product-service systems:a real-life case study

A Product-Service System (PSS) is an integrated product and service offering that delivers value in use. This paper presents a real-life case study of a large company which has moved towards PSS. A research protocol has been created to conduct an extensive series of interviews with key personnel within the case study company. The results of the study and implications for research are explored.

State-of-the-art in product-service systems

A Product-Service System (PSS) is an integrated combination of products and services. This Western concept embraces a service-led competitive strategy, environmental sustainability, and the basis to differentiate from competitors who simply offer lower priced products. This paper aims to report the state-of-the-art of PSS research by presenting a clinical review of literature currently available on this topic. The literature is classified and the major outcomes of each study are addressed and analysed. On this basis, this paper defines the PSS concept, reports on its origin and features, gives examples of applications along with potential benefits and barriers to adoption, summarizes available tools and methodologies, and identifies future research challenges.

Product-service systems revisited

There is a growing interest around the potential value of service-led competitive strategies to UK based manufacturers. A Product Service-System (PSS) is one form of such a strategy and is based on integrated combination of products and services. This concept also embraces environmental sustainability. This paper aims to summarise the state-of-the-art of PSS research by presenting a review of literature currently available on this topic. The literature search is described and the major outcomes of the study are presented. On this basis, this paper defines the PSS concept, reports on its origin and features.

Szolgálatosodás, avagy az integrált termék-szolgáltatás rendszerek kialakulása és jellemzői = Servitization – characteristics and development of integrated product-service systems

A tanulmány középpontjában a szolgálatosodás folyamata, vagy más néven az átfogó megoldásokat kínáló integrált termék-szolgáltatás rendszerek kialakulása áll. Áttekintjük a szolgálatosodás XIX. századra visszanyúló kialakulásának tényezőit, és a jelenlegi vállalatok előtt álló fejlődési lehetőségeket. Foglalkozunk e rendszerekhez szükséges képességek kérdéseivel és a sikeres termék-szolgáltatás rendszerek kialakításának folyamataival. Az irodalmi összefoglalás célja, hogy a vállalati üzletfejlesztéssel foglalkozó szakembereknek, a vállalati vezetőknek ötleteket adjon a sikeres fejlődéshez és egyben a lehetséges kockázatok elkerüléséhez. = The emerging theme of servitization, or in other words, the integrated product-service systems providing complex solutions to customer demand are in the focus of this study. We overview the factors leading to servitization, and highlight the improvement opportunities in this field. The capabilities required and the development steps of successful servitization are also addressed. The objective of this short literature review is to provide ideas for business development experts and top managers on how to develop their business successfully and how to avoid risks in this development.

A theory of constraints service systems improvement method: Case of the airline turnaround problem

This dissertation develops a process improvement method for service operations based on the Theory of Constraints (TOC), a management philosophy that has been shown to be effective in manufacturing for decreasing WIP and improving throughput. While TOC has enjoyed much attention and success in the manufacturing arena, its application to services in general has been limited. The contribution to industry and knowledge is a method for improving global performance measures based on TOC principles. The method proposed in this dissertation will be tested using discrete event simulation based on the scenario of the service factory of airline turnaround operations. To evaluate the method, a simulation model of aircraft turn operations of a U.S. based carrier was made and validated using actual data from airline operations. The model was then adjusted to reflect an application of the Theory of Constraints for determining how to deploy the scarce resource of ramp workers. The results indicate that, given slight modifications to TOC terminology and the development of a method for constraint identification, the Theory of Constraints can be applied with success to services. Bottlenecks in services must be defined as those processes for which the process rates and amount of work remaining are such that completing the process will not be possible without an increase in the process rate. The bottleneck ratio is used to determine to what degree a process is a constraint. Simulation results also suggest that redefining performance measures to reflect a global business perspective of reducing costs related to specific flights versus the operational local optimum approach of turning all aircraft quickly results in significant savings to the company. Savings to the annual operating costs of the airline were simulated to equal 30% of possible current expenses for misconnecting passengers with a modest increase in utilization of the workers through a more efficient heuristic of deploying them to the highest priority tasks. This dissertation contributes to the literature on service operations by describing a dynamic, adaptive dispatch approach to manage service factory operations similar to airline turnaround operations using the management philosophy of the Theory of Constraints.

Audit report on the Regional Utility Service Systems Commission for the year ended June 30, 2015

Audit report on the Regional Utility Service Systems Commission for the year ended June 30, 2015

Transition to Product Service Systems: methodology based on scenarios identification, modelling and evaluation

Part 4: Transition Towards Product-Service Systems

Applying Platform Design to Improve Product-Service Systems Collaborative Development

Part 3: Product-Service Systems

Building an Ontology of Product/Service-Systems: Using a Maritime Case Study to Elicit Classifications and Characteristics

Part 4: Transition Towards Product-Service Systems

A strategy formulation process for the delivery of technology enabled service delivery systems

The Product Service Systems, servitization, and Service Science literature continues to grow as organisations seek to protect and improve their competitive position. The potential of technology applications to deliver service delivery systems facilitated by the ability to make real time decisions based upon ‘in the field’ performance is also significant. Research identifies four key questions to be addressed. Namely: how far along the servitization continuum should the organisation go in a single strategic step? Does the organisation have the structure and infrastructure to support this transition? What level of condition monitoring should it employ? Is the product positioned correctly in the value chain to adopt condition monitoring technology? Strategy consists of three dimensions, namely content, context, and process. The literature relating to PSS, servitization, and strategy all discuss the concepts relative to content and context but none offer a process to deliver an aligned strategy to deliver a service delivery system enabled by condition based management. This paper presents a tested iterative strategy formulation methodology which is the result of a structured development programme.

Case study analysis of six sigma in Singapore service organizations

This paper presents a Six Sigma case study analysis involving three service organizations of Singapore. The organizations are a local hospital, a construction and related engineering service, and a consultancy service. These organizations embarked on their Six Sigma journey around 2003-2004. Though the hospital was slightly ahead than the other two in beginning Six Sigma. These organizations have since achieved significant service improvements through implementation of Six Sigma to their different divisions. Through a series of structured interviews with Six Sigma project champions, team leaders, and members; project reports; public archives; and observations; this study explores the Six Sigma journey of these organizations. The results portray a list of success factors which led to the Six Sigma initiatives, the process of Six Sigma implementation through proper identification of critical-to-quality characteristics, tools and techniques, and the performance indicators which display the improvements due to Six Sigma.

Contemporary cultures of service delivery to families : implications for music therapy

Family-centred and early intervention and prevention programs are a strong focus of current policy objectives within Australia, and a significant area of practice within the music therapy community. Recent shifts in the culture of policy and practice increasingly reflect ecological understandings by focussing on integrated and place-based approaches to service delivery. Further, current funding opportunities are strongly concerned with the extent to which interventions are able to reach out to highly vulnerable families that typically do not engage with services easily. Music therapy holds unique promise within these cultural shifts and thus advocates must develop a solid understanding of the concepts and related language in order to confidently engage with both funding and service systems. This paper uses an integrative review to first define and summarise current knowledge in three key areas relevant to contemporary Australian policy and practice: hard-to-reach families, home visiting as assertive outreach, and integrated or place-based service delivery. Evidence for the effectiveness of music therapy in relation to these key themes is then presented. Finally, the paper discusses the implications for the future of music therapy within the current Australian early intervention and prevention policy context and makes recommendations for moving forward on both practice and research fronts. While there is growing evidence and theory to suggest that music therapy may be uniquely efficacious in this area, greater Australian Journal of Music Therapy Vol 25, 2014 149 advocacy, documentation, research and adjustment of practices and language will further cement the position of the industry.