Probe on Network-based Collaborative Maintenance Model for After-sales Equipment

In order to make equipment run safely, economically and continuously, some new maintenance models were put forward to improve the equipment after-sale maintenance service, such as E-maintenance, third-party maintenance, etc. To certain extent, the models solved the problem of the distance between the manufacturer and customer and the dispersion of the maintenance technologies, however, those resources are still widely distributed and do not collaborate efficiently. In this paper, a network-based collaborative maintenance service model was proposed for after-sales equipment to solve the problem of maintenance resources integration. Concretely, equipment designers, maintainers, spare parts suppliers and maintenance experts were grouped together to establish dynamic alliance. The leader of the alliance is the manufacturer under guaranty period or equipment user exceeding the guaranty period. The process of maintenance service was divided into three stages which are fault diagnosis, maintenance decision and maintenance implementation. The sub-alliances were established to carry out maintenance work at each stage. In addition, the business process of network-based collaborative maintenance was analyzed and collaborative business system for equipment＇s after-sales collaborative maintenance service was designed. In the end, an informational economics model of network-based collaborative maintenance was established to demonstrate the effectiveness of this maintenance model.

Value Creation for the After-Sales Services： Organizational and Strategic Perspectives

As a part of the product development process, the after-sales services are not only a source of innovation, but also they benefit from value creation through new managerial methodologies for the achievement of competitive advantage and customer satisfaction. The objective of the paper is to further understand value creation for the after-sales services. We present the case of the creation of a new business for the after-sales services for the entrance into a new market. The new business is created by two gurus in the aerospace industry. A typology of guidelines is derived, based on organizational and strategic perspectives, for the after-sales services value creation and the guidelines for the creation of a new business as well as for the entrance of into a new market are presented.

3M Strengthening After-sales Service

The rapid rise and development of the computer industry in China has promoted the production of and demand for computer diskettes. China, with over 30 diskette production lines and an annual production of 2 billion diskettes, including some for export, has become the biggest diskette producing country in the world. However, imported diskettes, especially high grade brands, enjoy a good market here. That’s why many world renowned diskette

Empirical Validation of Key-Factors of Connected Remote Services

Based on an exploration of key-factors of connected remote services(CRS)by means of a qualitative study among German automotive customers,this study operationalizes the phenomenon.The definition of CRS as service innovation captures the special particularity of connectedness as attribute,providing simultaneous connectivity of customers to a service object(e.g.car),and a service provider(e.g.dealer and car manufacturer).The measurement model is conceptualized as a second-order formative construct defining the five key-factors:convenience,connectedness,comfort,safety,and reliability as first-order reflective constructs as identified in the prior qualitative study.The scale validation was undertaken at the first-and second-order levels.The result confirms the five distinct first-order measurement models.At the second-order level,a multiple indicators and multiple causes(MIMIC)model was employed to assess the validity of the formative measurement model.The operationalization confirms the distinctness of the five CRS key-factors.Further,the results suggest that four of five key-factors significantly contribute to the overarching construct of connected remote services,with safety and connectedness being the most important contributors and comfort to be shown as not significant.The confirmed concept of CRS will provide future research with a basis to explore different impacts of CRS use,e.g.in the context of technology acceptance and intentional customer behavior.

RE-ENGINEERING TRANSFORMER MAINTENANCE PROCESSES TO IMPROVE CUSTOMIZED SERVICE DELIVERY

The outage of a transformer in a power generation system will generally result in a shutdown of the entire system. Consequentially, large amounts of revenue are lost to the plant owner with a substantial negative impact on the civil community and industrial customers. This paper analyzes the current maintenance practices （i.e., an as-is process model） of a transformer manufacturing company, which provides maintenance services to power generation plants and reports the major weaknesses in current business practices. The maintenance weaknesses include isolated processes and paper based information communication. These inefficient processes result in service delays, cost increases, and inappropriate responses to customers＇ specific requests and complaints. To improve the efficiency and flexibility of the entire transformer maintenance service system, an e-integration approach is implemented with three key tasks. First, the current business processes are re-engineered to provide an improved （to-be） business model. Then, we replace paper based documentation methods with an electronic filing system for efficient and cost-effective information exchange. Afterward, the improved process model is implemented as an Internet based system to enhance the interactions among the transformer manufacturer, end-users, and service contractors for customized maintenance services. The case study demonstrates that implementing the e-integration approach increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the customized maintenance services.