Servitization of manufacturing: survey in the Polish machinery sector

Abstract

Abstract Servitization in developed countries is an increasingly popular strategy for building a competitive advantage. Its level varies depending on different market conditions as well as between sectors. The Polish economy is that of a developed country, but still, its level of development is slightly lower compared to the most developed countries. The current state of knowledge indicates that the machinery manufacturing sector usually characterises the highest level of servitization in comparison to other manufacturing sectors. To the author’s knowledge, no study on the servitization of Polish manufacturing companies has been conducted. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to fill the gap by analysing and evaluating the level of servitization in manufacturing companies operating in the Polish market. Aiming to assess whether the Polish manufacturers follow the global trends of servitization, the questionnaire survey was conducted with 150 machinery manufacturers operating in the Polish market. The survey was performed using the Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) technique between May and July of 2018. The results showed that in surveyed companies, the level of servitization, which was assessed based on a range of the most frequently provided services, was rather low. Although most manufacturers offer services to their customers, these services mostly support their products, and the revenue derived from the services constitutes a comparatively small part of the company’s total revenue. This paper makes two types of contribution to the development of research in the field of servitization. First, the study on the servitization of the Polish manufacturing companies revealed that in a country with the well-developed economy, industrial enterprises still rely on manufacturing rather than service delivery. And the potential for services is not yet recognised. Secondly, the original model for classifying the level of product and service integration in the activity of a manufacturing company is proposed. The model requires empirical verification and further studies. Nevertheless, it stands for a theoretical contribution to the research field of servitization.