Manufacturing companies have traditionally focused their
efforts on designing, developing and producing physical products
to offer on the market. Today global competition and demands for
greater company responsibility of products throughout their entire
life cycle are driving manufacturing companies to reorient
business strategy. The shift is from a product-orientation to
service-orientation, where instead of the product itself, the activity
and knowledge associated with the use of the product is perceived
to be of more value to the customer. Traditionally value was
considered to be related to the functions and performance derived
from the product itself, but in a service perspective, value is rather
derived from supporting and enhancing the customer’s use of
products. Customers are often more interested in the utility that a
product provides, but not necessarily interested in learning how to
properly use or maintain the product. This is done through service
support activities and offering expert knowledge that ensures
optimal operation and performance of products in relation to
customer’s needs.
A number of studies and research programmes [1] have focused
on the economic potentials of business strategies that aim to
provide the utility of products throughout their life cycle by
designing and delivering integrated solutions of products and
services [2]. Several researchers believe that these approaches also