B2B-Models for Delivery Projects in the After-Sales-Service Area of OEMs (dissertation)

For many companies, After-Sales Service is becoming an important mainstay in absorbing the effects of cyclic trends and to compensate the sometimes unsatisfactory earnings situation in new orders with the lucrative margins achievable in aftermarket business. Also during the past few years many new opportunities have developed, for using Internet Technologies commercially, for redefining business models, possibly with a view to reorganizing them for greater efficiency and effectiveness. The answer to the question: Which of the B2B-models are available for After-Sales-Service ? is the main objective of this thesis. This is shown using globally active suppliers of machinery and industrial plants to the pulp and paper industry as an example. A further core question is the functionality that these B2B-models must have if they are to be considered as viable solutions. Finding an answer to this question is closely related to the specific conditions of the a.m. industrial sector where hardly any intra-industry standards for electronic communication are established. This is the environment where basic patterns for B2B-models are being sought and its different forms are highlighted. The thesis is complemented and corroborated by empirical results from day-to-day operations.