Smart Service Systems in Manufacturing: An Investigation of Theory and Practice

Abstract

The digitalization has put forward numerous devices dubbed as ‘smart’. This development can be observed throughout the entire value chain and across industries with fundamental implications on the co-creation of value. In order to structure this phenomenon, the service science discipline conceptualized so-called smart service systems. This article transfers the theoretical conceptualization into the domain of manufacturing. To assess the state of research on smart services in manufacturing, a structured literature review is performed. As the transfer from a general conceptualization into a concrete domain calls for a more practice-oriented approach, we support our literature study through in-depth interviews with a leading automation technology provider. By interpreting the domain as a smart service system, five barriers to adoption in practice are identified and discussed regarding their implications for research.