Barriers of smart servitization in manufacturing companies

Abstract

Purpose of the article The impact of smart servitization has increased during last years in manufacturing companies. Manufacturers provide tangible products accompanied by services, but even also by smart services. Smart services are easily able to exchange data between their customers and the service providers. For providers and for their customers are smart services very beneficial in many ways. However, some possible barriers are connected with smart services as well.

Methodology/methods A qualitative multi-case study was done among seven Czech electrotechnical SMEs from South Moravian Region, which have already begun with smart service provision and provide a wide range of products and services with varying degrees of smart service orientation. The in-depth interviews with owners or with experienced senior managers were done from April 2017 to January 2018.

Scientific aim The aim of this paper is to find out which barriers of smart services are the most crucial for today’s manufacturing SMEs.

Findings The most important barrries at the beginning are finance and the lack of time. The main current internal barriers are perceived as follows: lease of data storage space, better sophistication and unification of the system, small complexity of the diagnostic system, data volume, finance and slow development, employee incompetence, lack of capable people and determination start with smart services. The current external barriers are the compatibility of SIM cards, how to get more and more demanding customers and get rid of their data security concerns, the rigidity of large businesses, poor networking and security, poorly technically and individually thinking graduates, poor infrastructure, often senseless protection regulations personal data.

Conclusions Deeper research is necessary to understand this problem of barriers connected to smart servitization. Therefore, future studies should investigate further which barriers SMEs companies ave and how to help them to overcome them.