TY  - CHAP
AB  - Abstract This study explores whether machinery firms with a ‘hidden champions’ profile leverage Industry 4.0 practices to roll out smart services; whether this allows them to get a firm grip on their installed base; and whether it allows them to expand their international (service) business. The research is conducted based on exploratory, multiple-case study methods.The author finds that the implementation of smart services can improve a machine tool builder’s hold on its installed base and expand the scope of its international (service) business. However, the study also finds that the ability to capitalise on this potential depends on a series of moderating variables. The study also concludes that there is a risk that smart services do not unlock a strong willingness-to-pay among potential customers.
It, therefore, calls into question several conventional wisdoms, such as the possibilities that Industry 4.0 offers for suppliers operating in business-to-business markets, and the receptiveness to smart services by buyers in such markets. Finally, it highlights the specific liabilities faced by hidden champions with regard to expanding their smart services business.The chapter provides practical insights into the hurdles that industrial suppliers must overcome in their attempts to achieve uptake of smart services by customers, particularly within a cross-border context.
VL  - 13
SN  - 978-1-78756-326-1, 978-1-78756-325-4/1745-8862
DO  - 10.1108/S1745-886220180000013012
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/S1745-886220180000013012
AU  - Kamp Bart
ED  - Rob van Tulder
ED  - Alain Verbeke
ED  - Lucia Piscitello
PY  - 2018
Y1  - 2018/01/01
TI  - Expanding International Business Via Smart Services: Insights From ‘Hidden Champions’ in the Machine Tool Industry
T2  - International Business in the Information and Digital Age
T3  - Progress in International Business Research
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 273
EP  - 293
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -