Sustainable Product-Service Systems Customization: A Case Study Research in the Medical Equipment Sector
Open Access
- 10 June 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Sustainability
- Vol. 13 (12), 6624
- https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126624
Abstract
The paper proposes a Product-Service System (PSS) methodology for customizing solutions to different patterns of use while achieving a better environmental performance than a stand-alone product. The approach is based on combining the Quality Function Deployment for Product-Service Systems (QFDforPSS) and the Screening Life Cycle Modeling (SLCM) tools. QFDforPSS is augmented by the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to reduce service-related ambiguities and uncertainties on the one hand and better define the product and service characteristics of the solution on the other. The SLCM evaluates the possible outcomes by determining the environmental impact and comparing it with the manufacturer’s current solution. A case study at a manufacturer of medical diagnostic equipment illustrates the use of the approach depicting the possible benefits that can arise: the PSS solution can be customized to fit customers who intensively use the product and consumers with a more moderate use. This offers flexibility and an optimized life cycle through easier maintenance, upgrades, and end-of-life schemes. Concretely, it shows how the PSS approach can enhance the development of sustainable solutions that can be adapted to varying and future customer needs, such as adjusting current solutions to new requirements, i.e., adapting existing products to COVID-19 detection and different levels of use.Keywords
This publication has 90 references indexed in Scilit:
- New trends in product service system and servitization research: A conceptual structure emerging from three decades of literatureCIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, 2021
- Systematic Literature Review—Effects of PSS on Sustainability Based on Use Case AssessmentsSustainability, 2020
- A Product/Service System Design Schema: Application to Big Data AnalyticsSustainability, 2020
- Unintended Circularity?—Assessing a Product-Service System for its Potential Contribution to a Circular EconomySustainability, 2019
- Servitization and sustainability actions. Evidence from European manufacturing companiesJournal of Environmental Management, 2019
- Guidelines for evaluating the environmental performance of Product/Service-Systems through life cycle assessmentJournal of Cleaner Production, 2018
- Product service-systems implementation: A customized framework to enhance sustainability and customer satisfactionJournal of Cleaner Production, 2018
- Designing and providing integrated product-service systems – challenges, opportunities and solutions resulting from prescriptive approaches in two industrial companiesInternational Journal of Production Research, 2017
- Service-oriented manufacturing: a new product pattern and manufacturing paradigmJournal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 2009
- Eight types of product–service system: eight ways to sustainability? Experiences from SusProNetBusiness Strategy and the Environment, 2004