Success Strategies for Product Service Systems

The values in our economy are changing from production of material goods to service offers based on knowledge and information. This transposition requires firms to develop corresponding strategies. Based on the research, PSS seem to be one of the most advanced and promising strategies, as they aim to fulfil our needs by cleverly combining material and immaterial elements. By offering high quality PSS solutions, companies will be able to compete in saturated product markets and to re-orient the current production and consumption mechanisms into a more sustainable direction. In order to support the innovation in Austrian micro and small companies, a simplified set of PSS development has been developed on the basis of real-life system development experiences as well as the extensive literature study. In the innovation process, companies will face several challenges such as a change of the organizational mindset and new financial schemes. Therefore, not only methodological support but also political and institutional instruments need to be prepared for SMEs. In this context government organizations have an important role. Their financial and/or institutional incentives will accelerate the successful PSS implementation. Future research needs to pay more attention to the value of emotion behind consumer behaviour and decisions. More intelligent, user-friendly, socially accepted and worth showing-off PSS ideas will bring real market success.

2005–08; -; bmvit, Fabrik der Zukunft