A Simplified Service Engineering Approach used by an Industrial Service Solutions Provider

This paper shows how a provider of complex hardware with long operation times makes use of a structured methods approach to develop maintenance, repair and overhaul services and improve its service solutions.Service engineering is a methodical approach for the design of service offerings, and can be described by using the dimensions outcome, structure, processand management. So far, little is known about how firms implement such approaches. On the basis of a longitudinal case study within a large, product-based, high-technology business corporation, the paper shows that the use of a simplified service engineering model may be effective in supporting both the development and the maintenance of a comprehensive service business. More specifically, the case suggests the following factors to be important for success: A systematically applied engineering method, the presence of dedicated service champions, an ability to articulate and formalize new service roles, and deep technical knowledge of the involved hardware.