Servitization to manage a changing market How the cable manufacturing industry could address the changes in the energy sector
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Quality and operations management (MPQOM), MSc
Publicerad
2023
Författare
Lindberg, Olivia
Felixson, Ellen
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Electrification and the use of green fragmented energy sources are major trends in the
energy sector, putting the energy grid under increased pressure where both
maintenance and expansion of the infrastructure are needed. This, in turn, transfers
the pressure upstream to the cable manufacturing industry to deliver the needed
infrastructure and meet the changes in the market. One way of handling changes in a
market, where the focus is on better meeting the needs of the customers is through
servitization, which has been a trend for manufacturing firms wanting to create
additional value. With this background, this study aimed to investigate how the cable
manufacturing industry could address the changes in the energy sector by
servitization. To do this, the study investigated where the cable manufacturing
industry is positioned in the context of servitization and its implications to better
understand the potential and possibilities of undergoing servitization. The study took
the form of a case study, where the perspective of the cable manufacturing industry
was taken to assess the potential and implications of servitized offerings towards the
energy sector. The actors targeted in the energy sector were electricity network
companies. This since they are responsible for the infrastructure of the electricity grid
where ways of handling the increased pressure on the grid are needed. To understand
the internal and external context of the cable manufacturing industry, two focus
groups were held at the case study company, CSC, while five semi-structured
interviews were conducted at the electricity network companies, ENCs.
The study showed that the cable manufacturing industry is in the early phases of
advanced services in a servitization journey and that there is a lot of work and
considerations if proceeding. Further, six key areas were identified as critical for the
CSC in moving forward in servitized offerings: communication and demonstration of
service value, servitization offer and business case, managing of transformation,
learning and feedback, internal alignment, and increased collaboration within the
network. The study also concluded that the acceptance of new business models in this
case is very much dependent on the regulatory requirements in the market which
highly influence the possibilities in this field. Furthermore, the study showed that the
main drivers for the CSC and ENCs can be divided into market drivers, financial
drivers, and strategic drivers. Lastly, the study also concluded that both the CSC and
the ENCs emphasized increased collaboration as an important factor going forward in
the development of service offerings.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
servitization , product service systems , hybrid offerings , advanced services , differentiation strategy , drivers , energy sector , cable manufacturing industry