Towards a X-as-a-Service Application in Industrial Laundry – A Case Study of Information Requirement Engineering in Emerging Data Ecosystems

In past years, Everything- or X-as-a-Service applications have left their mark on the consumer market, changing the landscape of on-demand delivery of goods and services. In recent years, these applications have also gained traction in an industrial context. However, companies are often unable to provide such a service on their own because they lack the necessary data or capabilities. To address this, companies are coming together to be part of larger Data Ecosystems. Based on a case study in industrial laundry, this paper explores the first steps towards a Laundry-Finish-as-a-Service application, focusing on the Information Requirement Concept. Based on Action Design Research as a guiding research process, three small to medium sized enterprises – a manufacturer of textile finishing machines, a manufacturer of gas burners as well as an industrial laundry – were scientifically accompanied over the course of eight months, with two workshops and several bilateral in-depth sessions. First results are presented and discussed in order to derive design principles for the Information Requirement Concept for a XaaS application in emerging data ecosystems.