Installed base information: Ensuring customer value and profitability after the sale
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis explores the business benefits for capital goods manufacturers in maintaining systematic records for individual products in their installed base. The research results show that such installed base information can be essential for a company interested in improving both the value their customers get from using their products and their after-sales operations' profitability. Although companies have product-related records on their sales, production, deliveries, service contracts, and service jobs, the data in the often function-specific information systems remain incompatible, and an overview of the installed base is missing. The resulting situation resembles that of manufacturing before ERP systems were introduced to unify function-specific transaction data in the manufacturing process. Whereas the ERP systems for production have been powerful in standardizing transaction data involving product and component types, the value for customers after the sale is created through product individuals. To implement information systems focusing on individual products, it is necessary to understand which functions are interested in such information and what data should be standardized and gathered. The research's main objective was to improve understanding of the reasons for maintaining installed base information and understanding of the installed base information's structure. The research's empirical part consists of four in-depth case studies in four capital goods manufacturing companies providing product-related services. In each case study, the focal company developed its installed base information systems. Consequently, several purposes for installed base information were identified towards providing customer value during the product use, both through ensuring the products' operational reliability and through supporting the customer's goals with the products. Ensuring product reliability for the customer requires that service units be prepared for servicing the in…
abstract: This thesis explores the business benefits for capital goods manufacturers in maintaining systematic records for individual products in their installed base. The research results show that such installed base information can be essential for a company interested in improving both the value their customers get from using their products and their after-sales operations' profitability. Although companies have product-related records on their sales, production, deliveries, service contracts, and service jobs, the data in the often function-specific information systems remain incompatible, and an overview of the installed base is missing. The resulting situation resembles that of manufacturing before ERP systems were introduced to unify function-specific transaction data in the manufacturing process. Whereas the ERP systems for production have been powerful in standardizing transaction data involving product and component types, the value for customers after the sale is created through product individuals. To implement information systems focusing on individual products, it is necessary to understand which functions are interested in such information and what data should be standardized and gathered. The research's main objective was to improve understanding of the reasons for maintaining installed base information and understanding of the installed base information's structure. The research's empirical part consists of four in-depth case studies in four capital goods manufacturing companies providing product-related services. In each case study, the focal company developed its installed base information systems. Consequently, several purposes for installed base information were identified towards providing customer value during the product use, both through ensuring the products' operational reliability and through supporting the customer's goals with the products. Ensuring product reliability for the customer requires that service units be prepared for servicing the in…
author: Ala-Risku, Timo
language: en
date published: 2009
date modified: 2026-07-27T18:39:42Z
provider: Aalto University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Teknillinen korkeakoulu