The Servitization Of Manufacturing - Delivering On The Service Promise

The servitization of manufacturing is a big trend in the industry. Manufacturers have started to think about service in a similar way to how they think about product.

In manufacturing, a product goes through a clear process which is repeatable. You already invest in a repeatable product process. You need to invest in a repeatable service process. You want to deliver the service experience at a certain level, and you want to be able to repeat that service experience, at that level, again and again.

Just as you want to continuously deliver better products, you want to continuously improve your service. One process feeds the other.

Uptime means a reliable product. A reliable product drives better service. Information that you collect from your service process can be used to improve your product, making your product more reliable.

Combining products and services also makes a lot of sense for the end-users of your products. Your customers aren’t interested in buying equipment; they’re interested in buying the operating hours of that asset.

As manufacturers, you’re selling a piece of equipment. But a lot of your profit is tied to the service of the product. For manufacturers, service is an important part of the business model and can help differentiate you from the competition.

So if the servitization of manufacturing is a big trend, what do you need to get there?