1,720,993 research outputs found
A complexity management approach to servitization: the role of digital platforms
No full textPurpose This study aims to enhance the theoretical foundations of servitization research by establishing a theoretical connection with complexity management. The authors develop a conceptual framework to describe complexity management mechanisms in servitization and digital platforms' specific role in allowing synergies between complexity reduction and absorption mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach A theory adaptation approach is used. Theory adaptation introduces new perspectives and conceptualization to the domain theory (servitization, with a focus on the role of digital platforms) by informing it with a method theory (complexity management). Findings This study provides four key contributions to the servitization literature: (1) connecting the servitization and complexity-management terminologies, (2) identifying and classifying complexity-management mechanisms in servitization, (3) conceptualizing digital platforms' role in servitization complexity management and (4) recognizing digital platforms' complexity-management synergies. Originality/value This study highlights that by using digital platforms in servitization and understanding the platform approach more thoroughly, companies can gain new capabilities and opportunities to manage and leverage complexity
Complexity Management in Service Businesses through Platform Adoption
No full textIn recent years, companies have started to offer solutions characterized by the presence of both products and services. This helps solving the challenges deriving from increased competition and market instability, through generation of new sources of competitive advantage. In the literature, this phenomenon is referred with the term “servitization”. Implementing a servitization strategy increases environmental complexity because of the growth in the number of interrelations and interactions of the activities taking place in the service processes, as well as interorganizational and intraorganizational relationships between the different actors. Platform has been identified as an organizational paradigm which may have potential to support companies in managing the increased complexity. However, studies about platform approaches with this focus are limited. Therefore, this study links the theoretical knowledge on complexity management with that of platforms, revealing the potentialities of platforms in managing complexity in service business context. Furthermore, based on the empirical findings from two case companies, the paper elaborates the mechanisms through which platforms can help companies to manage complexity through reducing and absorbing it
Analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic's impacts on manufacturing: a systematic literature review and future research agenda
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected manufacturing companies and necessitated adaptations of firms' operations. Despite the increasing interest in this subject, a scarcity of systematic analysis can be observed. The present study systematically reviews the existing research on the COVID-19 pandemic concerning the manufacturing industry. This paper aims to highlight the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the manufacturing sector from the operations management perspective, the practical adaptation actions, and future research opportunities. Open research questions and directions for further investigation are articulated and triangulated across organisational, process and technology perspectives
Unlocking the Potential of Agriculture 4.0: A Comparative Study on Italian Farms' Technological Evolution, Business Demands, and Perceived Benefits
No full textMaturity level and Effects of the 4.0 Paradigm on the Italian Agricultural Industry: A preliminary study
No full textEnabling technologies, impacts and challenges of “Industry 4.0” in the manufacturing context: some insights from a preliminary literature review
No full textThe initiative of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has been proposed in Germany in 2011. From that moment, both
academical and industrial communities started to be interested in this new paradigm due to its potential capability of
transforming traditional manufacturing systems into flexible, customizable and autonomous ones. Indeed, scholars
have provided contributions aimed at developing a framework for Industry 4.0 related concepts such as smart
factory, factory of the future (FoF) and cyber physical systems (CPS). Furthermore, the literature investigates vertical
and horizontal integration enabled by Industry 4.0 enabling technologies, as well as their industrial practices.
Nonetheless, a comprehensive understanding of the concept of Industry 4.0 evaluating the overall plethora of I4.0
enabling technologies has been addressed by very few studies in the literature. Moreover, the potential impacts as
well as the challenges related to the application of Industry 4.0 are scattered in different studies. On that basis, this
paper aims at presenting a state-of-art of industry 4.0 paradigm applied in the manufacturing context. In particular,
this study focuses on identifying i) the I4.0 enabling technologies; ii) the achievable benefits and faced obstacles in
adopting I4.0 paradigm and; iii) the human- and sustainability- related factors effected by Industry 4.0. This objective
has been achieved based on the preliminary results of a literature review of 73 papers selected from Scopus and
Web-of-Science databases. The (preliminary) results allowed to point out the main elements emerging from the
sample analyzed, as well as their level of diffusion within the literature. Although various contributions have been
written on Industry 4.0 area, the majority of them are focused on the impacts of digital enabling technologies in the
domain of smart factory, stressing the topic of production scheduling and maintenance. Less attention has been paid
on the improvement of product or service development and to the reconfiguration of the supply chain in the I4.0
era. This paper also shows that human and sustainability related aspects are less focused, but there is an increasing
trend in recent years. Besides, even though the implementation of I4.0 enabling technologies in single business
processes has been addressed by several works in the literature, utilization of combination of different technologies
and a clear definition of what types of benefits they can bring out, is under-investigated
A Design for X framework for PSS business models
No full textManufacturing companies are moving from product-centric offerings to services and solutions in order to
increase revenues and build sustainable competitive advantage. This strategy is generally achieved through the
provision of a product–service system (PSS) that may be considered as the combination of tangible products with a
series of related intangible services in order to meet specific customer needs’. Therefore, the material products need
to be characterized by specific design features in order to make more efficient and effective the provision of the
product-related services. Moreover, the adoption of a product-service-system (PSS) business model necessitates an
accurate attention on all the phases of the product life-cycle. According to this line of thought, concurrent
engineering approach and, in particular, the adoption of design-for-x (DfX) techniques can represent an effective
instrument to decrease maintenance cost, facilitate reuse and extent product life-cycle in order to effectively provide
a PSS. The literature acknowledges the likely impacts of DfX approach in the implementation of PSS. However, the
relationships between DfX types with the different PSS types as well as the DfX operational levers that
manufacturing companies can implement based on the envisaged DfX type adopted still remain largely an uncharted
territory. In order to fill this gap, this paper proposes a new literature-based DfX typology encompassing the suitable
DfX types to be considered when implementing a PSS business model. The evaluation of the potential impacts of
each DfX type on different configurations of PSS business models has been also investigated. This paper also
presents a toolkit aimed at helping practitioners at identifying and evaluating practical actions to be taken in order to
improve the product design according to the configuration of the envisaged PSS business model (BM) configuratio
Industry 4.0 revolution: state-of-the-art of the Italian manufacturing context
No full textHigher global competition and more complex customer demands pushes manufacturers to provide valueadded
products to the market in a faster and more reliable way. Companies can exploit the outstanding
improvements in digital technologies whose adoption has brought to the so-called “Industry 4.0” (I4.0) revolution.
Indeed, technologies such as Additive Manufacturing (AM), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Big Data &
Advanced Analytics, Virtual & Augmented Reality and Cloud Manufacturing are transforming companies into smart
enterprises characterized by the interconnection of processes and assets. Though the adoption of technologies and
the benefits related to this new paradigm has been quite debated in the literature, it seems that no study has been
conducted regarding the adoption level of Industry 4.0 principles in Italy. This article shows the results of an
exploratory survey, in which a sample of 105 companies has been involved, covering the most important
manufacturing sectors. The main objective of this study is the provision of a state-of-the-art review on how the
Italian manufacturing enterprises are involved in the I4.0 journey. Except for IIoT and AM, our findings indicate
that Italian manufacturing companies have a limited knowledge for I4.0 enabling technologies. The survey results
also revealed that the medium and large companies, characterized by a high level of automation and computerization
capability, tend to be much more incline to adopt I4.0 paradigm and related technologies. In the next future, by
adopting the same methodology, we will extend the boundaries of the research involving companies of other
countries, in order to highlight contingent differences compared to Italy
Digital supply chain capabilities to face the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textThe troubles in sourcing raw materials and components, as well as logistics bottlenecks due first to the COVID 19 pandemic and more recently to geopolitical tensions and conflicts, have contributed to strong turbulence in the supply chains. To deal effectively with these disruptive events, the mere adoption of digital technologies is not enough, but the targeted development of appropriate digital capabilities is also necessary. The literature has contributed to investigating capabilities in the supply chain, but the topic of digital capabilities to face disruptive scenarios is an under-investigated topic. In this regard, this article aims to answer the following question: How the digital capabilities were able to mitigate and reduce the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic? Therefore, the purpose of this article is to explore the role of digital technologies to enable the digital capabilities that can face the latest supply chain challenges. In addition, particular attention is paid to the role of digital capabilities in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, this paper adopts the empirical case-study methodology and develops a framework that can serve as a guide for companies facing the challenges listed. This article aims to present the preliminary results of this research, shedding light on the digital capabilities developed by four manufacturing companies, engaged in structural plans for digital transformation
Digital servitization of the machinery sector: A comparison between Italy-Based and Foreign companies
No full textThe machinery industry sector is among the most important due to its production of equipment utilized by other industries in manufacturing processes. Traditionally characterized by transactional sales, this sector is currently shifting towards servitized business models, wherein products such as machines and industrial equipment are bundled with services or offered purely as services. Implementing servitized business models is non-trivial as it necessitates thorough investigation. Additionally, machinery is undergoing a digital transformation that, in combination with servitization, has led to the concept of digital servitization. Since the Italian market is among the most important at European level, it is critical for Italian companies to understand their positioning against competition. This paper delves into the digital servitization evolution of machinery companies, comparing those based in Italy with their foreign counterparts. The findings highlight that, despite facing similar challenges, foreign companies are more advanced in this transition than their Italian counterparts
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