Stages of servitization: evidence from Brazilian machinery and equipment industries

Abstract

A growing number of companies have added value to their business by incorporating services, looking forward to reach several potentially gains, such as higher profitability and differentiation. To the transition performed by the industry from a manufacturer of goods to a supplier of product-service solutions is given the name “servitization”. The literature addressing this issue is scarce about how the servitization takes place in companies, still being a field with little evidence derived from quantitative studies. This research aimed to assess quantitatively the existence of distinct and sequential levels of servitization process in servitized industries. In a questionnaire were evaluated the perceptions of 92 servitized industries’ managers in the Machinery and Equipment sector. We validated and analysed the data with univariate and multivariate statistics. The results suggested that servitization happens in sequential and different offers steps.