The Digital Servitization Exchange Podcast

Description: How did the world’s most iconic toy company go from the brink of bankruptcy to unprecedented global success?. In this episode, we dive deep into the fascinating turnaround story of the LEGO Group. We explore how former CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp rescued the company in the early 2000s by cutting crippling supply chain complexities, drastically reducing product components, and refocusing...

Description: I n this episode, we explore the fascinating journey of 365FarmNet, a pioneering farm management information system (FMIS) introduced by the agricultural machinery manufacturer CLAAS in 2013. Originally designed as an ambitious, open ecosystem to handle everything "from field to barn," it promised farmers a unified way to manage mixed tractor fleets, reduce duplicate data en...

In this episode, we dive deep into the strategic evolution of Honeywell Forge , exploring how a traditional industrial giant successfully transitioned into a software-driven platform . We trace the emergence of the Honeywell Connected Enterprise (HCE) in 2018, which spearheaded the shift from selling standalone products to generating recurring, data-driven software revenue across industries like a...

The shift toward Direct-to-Customer (D2C) strategies and digital servitization presents a complex paradox for product manufacturers today. While digital technologies offer lucrative new revenue streams, valuable data, and closer customer relationships, bypassing established dealer networks can lead to severe consequences, including brand dilution, loss of market share, and disrupted customer journ...

Description: In this episode, we dive deep into Rockwell Automation's ambitious pivot from a traditional controls and automation hardware vendor to a software, data, and digital-transformation platform vendor. We explore the evolution of FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, which operates as a federated digital-transformation stack bringing together IIoT, manufacturing execution systems (MES), and an...

Description: How does a 150-year-old telecommunications company stay competitive in the age of 5G, cloud computing, AI, and platform ecosystems? In this episode, we explore the Ericsson case and examine how the company transformed from a traditional network equipment supplier into a software- and services-driven technology leader. We discuss Ericsson’s strategic pivot toward cloud-native infrastru...

Description: How did Sony transform from a legendary electronics manufacturer into one of the world’s most powerful connected entertainment ecosystems? In this episode, we explore Sony’s 25-year strategic evolution—from its dominance in consumer electronics and the iconic Walkman era to becoming a global leader in gaming, music, film, and subscription-driven digital services. . We unpack the compa...

Description How do strategic acquisitions turn an industrial manufacturer into a global service leader? In this episode, we examine how Atlas Copco transformed its business model between 2005 and 2025 by systematically acquiring distributors, service specialists, rental businesses, and technology firms to expand its installed base and recurring revenues  From early moves to strengthen aftermarket...

Description: How does a traditional electrical equipment manufacturer become a global digital services powerhouse? In this episode, we explore how Schneider Electric transformed from a hardware-driven industrial firm into a leader in software, IoT platforms, and recurring digital services between 2005 and 2025. Through bold acquisitions such as Telvent, Invensys, AVEVA, and RIB Software, the compa...

Description In this episode, we explore Mitsubishi Electric’s M-Use® model, a bold shift from selling elevators to delivering elevator-as-a-service. Instead of owning the equipment, building owners pay for performance—guaranteed uptime, predictive maintenance, and long-term reliability. We unpack how Mitsubishi designed the model, why it resonates with Europe’s push toward circularity, and what ma...

Description In this episode, we explore how Komatsu reinvented itself from a world-class maker of heavy machinery into a global provider of Smart Construction solutions . Faced with labor shortages, low productivity, and rising safety demands, Komatsu made a bold bet on digital servitization —shifting its focus from selling machines to delivering smarter, safer, and more productive construction ou...

Description In this episode, we explore how ABB is transforming industrial automation through its Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) approach. Long known for selling advanced industrial robots, ABB is now shifting toward outcome-based, service-led automation , where customers pay for robotic capability, performance, and uptime—rather than owning complex hardware outright. We unpack how ABB’s RaaS model...

Description In this episode, we explore how Philips reinvented itself from a world-leading medical device manufacturer into a digital health platform provider with the launch and evolution of Philips HealthSuite. Facing rising healthcare costs, chronic disease burdens, and fragmented care systems, Philips made a bold strategic move: connect devices, data, clinicians, and patients across the entire...

Description Hitachi reinvented itself through Lumada, a digital platform that transformed a century-old industrial giant into a data-driven solutions leader. We explore how Lumada connects IoT, analytics, and AI to bridge the physical and digital worlds—powering smarter energy systems, rail networks, factories, and cities. The conversation highlights Lumada not just as a technology stack, but as a...

Description In this episode, we examine how NIO has redefined electric mobility through its pioneering Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model. Instead of selling cars with batteries built in, NIO separates the battery from the vehicle purchase—allowing customers to buy the car at a lower upfront price and subscribe to battery access, upgrades, and rapid swapping as a service. We explore how BaaS addres...

Description Eastman Kodak is often remembered as the company that “missed digital photography.” But that story is too simple. In this episode, we unpack Kodak’s collapse through the lens of service ecosystem strategy and servitization . Despite inventing the first digital camera and leading U.S. digital camera sales in the 2000s, Kodak failed to realign its business model with how value was actual...

Description For most of its history, Caterpillar Inc. was defined by the machines it sold. But between 2010 and 2025, the company quietly reinvented itself—not as a hardware manufacturer, but as a digitally enabled service ecosystem . In this episode, we explore how Caterpillar transformed cyclical, asset-heavy equipment sales into stable, high-margin service revenues by connecting millions of mac...

Description For much of the 20th century, IBM defined the computer industry through hardware—from mainframes to personal computers. But beginning in the mid-2000s, IBM made a series of deliberate, often painful strategic choices to reinvent itself for a very different future. In this episode, we trace IBM’s transformation from 2005 to 2025 as it exited commoditized hardware businesses and rebuilt...

Description Cisco Systems is best known for building the infrastructure of the internet. But since 2010, Cisco has been quietly reinventing itself—from a hardware-driven networking giant into a company powered by services, software, and recurring revenue. In this episode, we unpack how Cisco turned its traditional support business into a strategic growth engine. We trace the evolution from classic...

Description For decades, Xerox was synonymous with copiers and printers. But faced with digital disruption and declining print volumes, Xerox embarked on a long and often turbulent journey to reinvent itself as a services-led company. In this episode, we trace Xerox’s transformation from the mid-2000s to today. We examine the bold pivot into business process outsourcing through the landmark acquis...

Description E.ON was once a classic European utility with big power plants, wholesale trading, and mass-market energy supply. Then Germany’s Energiewende changed everything: renewables surged, wholesale prices fell, nuclear phase-out accelerated, and customers became “prosumers.” In this episode, we unpack how E.ON responded with one of the boldest restructurings in the sector: the 2014 strategy p...

Description In this episode, we explore territorial servitization, a powerful concept that shifts the focus from individual firms to regions as engines of innovation and value creation. Rather than seeing servitization as a company-level strategy, territorial servitization shows how manufacturing firms and knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) co-evolve within a territory—jointly driving pr...

Description  In this episode, we explore how John Deere has transformed itself from a legendary manufacturer of farm equipment into a provider of solutions-as-a-service for modern agriculture. We unpack how connected machines, cloud platforms, AI, and subscription-based tools are redefining how value is created on the farm. The conversation traces John Deere’s shift toward smart, data-driven farmi...

Description In this episode, we dive into the strategic transformation of Vestas—once known purely as a wind turbine manufacturer—into a global leader in energy solutions and lifecycle services. We explore how, over the past decade, Vestas grew its service business into a €3.7B+ segment with a €36B+ backlog, offering predictive maintenance, multibrand servicing, lifetime extensions, and digital op...

Description: In this episode, we dive into the remarkable journey of TomTom—from dominating Europe’s consumer GPS market to becoming a global leader in location technology services. Facing the collapse of the portable navigation device (PND) market amid smartphone disruption and tech giants like Google, TomTom executed one of the most ambitious digital servitization pivots in the tech industry. We...