The Role of Installed Base Information in Servitization: a Knowledge Management View

Purpose: In the last decades, growing competitive pressures and increased customer expectations have pushed western manufacturers to extend their offerings through the provision of value-adding services. This paper aims to develop a theoretical framework for the identification and development of installed base information management practices for the successful deployment of a servitization strategy. Design/methodology/approach: The research is based on a two-step literature review. The first one focuses on the knowledge management (KM) theory, and was aimed at defining a general framework about knowledge management. The second step consisted in applying the resulting framework to a set of papers focused on servitization and installed base information issues. Findings: Results identify the conceptual relevance and guidelines for knowledge management (KM) as a lever supporting the servitization process of manufacturers. Originality/value: This work identifies relationships between KM practices (both organizational and technological) and key aspects of the servitization strategies and processes. Moreover it contributes to practice by supporting companies to configure the KM practices and KM systems that better suit their servitization strategies.