Qualitative Assessment for the Transferability of an Industrial Product-Service Systems from One Application Field to Another Within the Same Organization

Currently, the manufacturing industry has a growing tendency to increase the added value of its offer through the implementation of the product-service system. The development of this system includes servitization as a strategic objective, since it allows providing more complete solutions aimed at customer satisfaction. However, the transfer of a product-service business model (PSS) in industrial scenarios generates uncertainty due to the weak definition of key criteria that contribute to its success. This research investigates the replicability of a PSS within organizations having a similar organizational culture. This article introduces a qualitative assessment of this transfer using a graphical tool called morphological box that meets the criteria defined in the systematic literature review. The established criteria and sub-criteria are based on the Business Model Canvas. The sub-criteria represent the possible configurations of the criteria within the business model. The “morphological box” is adapted to guide the graphical analysis of the capabilities, resources and competencies of the traditional business model vs. the PSS to be replicated. This research has been applied to evaluate the potential transferability of the “Pay per unit of service” business model in the field of industrial air compressors to the field of water distribution in a French company. This company includes in its offer the option of monitoring, surveillance and maintenance to ensure its continuous availability. The research demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed approach and tool in industrial settings by suggesting an easy-to-use guide about the criteria to be considered during the transfer.