Dynamics of Long-life Assets : From Technology Adaptation to Upgrading the Business Model

This book is published under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. The editors present essential methods and tools to support a holistic approach to the challenge of system upgrades and innovation in the context of high-value products and services. The approach presented here is based on three main pillars: an adaptation mechanism based on a broad understanding of system dependencies; efficient use of system knowledge through involvement of actors throughout the process; and technological solutions to enable efficient actor communication and information handling.

The book provides readers with a better understanding of the factors that influence decisions, and put forward solutions to facilitate the rapid adaptation to changes in the business environment and customer needs through intelligent upgrade interventions. Further, it examines a number of sample cases from various contexts including car manufacturing, utilities, shipping and the furniture industry. The book offers a valuable resource for both academics and practitioners interested in the upgrading of capital-intensive products and services.

“The work performed in the project “Use-It-Wisely (UiW)” significantly contributes towards a collaborative way of working. Moreover, it offers comprehensive system modelling to identify business opportunities and develop technical solutions within industrial value networks. The developed UiW-framework fills a void and offers a great opportunity. The naval construction sector of small passenger vessels, for instance, is one industry that can benefit.”

Nikitas Nikitakos, Professor at University of the Aegean, Department of Shipping, Trade, and Transport, Greece.

“Long-life assets are crucial for both the future competiveness and sustainability of society. Make wrong choices now and you are locked into a wrong system for a long time. Make the right choices now and society can prosper. This book gives important information about how manufacturers can make right choices.”

Stefan N. Grösser is a professor of Strategic Management and Organization, Dean of Studies for Industrial Engineering and Management Science, Co-Leader of a research group, and Deputy-Head of the Institute for Corporate Development at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland. In addition, he is a senior researcher in strategic management and system dynamics at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, a guest professor for research methods at Heilbronn University, and he was a visiting scholar at the System Dynamics Group at MIT Sloan. He received degrees from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, in business administration and economics, and from the University of Bergen, Norway, in system dynamics. He received his PhD in Management from the University of St. Gallen. Stefan’s research interests include strategic management, business models, mental models and simulation methodology.

Arcadio Reyes Lecuona is a Professor of the Department of Electronic Technology, and head of DIANA research group, both at the University of Malaga, Spain. In addition, he is member of the steering committee of the Spanish Association for Human-Computer Interaction (AIPO) and the representative of the University of Malaga in the European Association for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (EuroVR). He received his PhD in Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Malaga in 2001. Since then, he has been working on Virtual Reality, 3D interaction and Model Based Systems Engineering. He has participated in several EU and national projects, working in 3D interaction in Virtual Reality using visual, auditory, and haptic modalities.

Göran Granholm is a Senior Scientist at the Systems Engineering business area, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. He received his MSc degree from Helsinki University of Technology in 1990. With a background in civil engineering and hydraulics he has since been involved in research projects across industries including the maritime and defense sectors. He has over 20 years of experience as researcher and project manager in both national and multinational projects, focusing on new technologies and simulation-based approaches to training and user involvement in concept evaluation and early design. Most recently he has been involved in projects focusing on the implementation of Systems Engineering approaches, requirements engineering, and product data management in networked organizations.