Spyridon Georg Koustas

The increasing spread of digital technologies creates new opportunities for companies to design customer-oriented offers from products and services by using digital data. Such so-called smart product service systems (smart PSS) offer added value specifically to offering companies, as they enable a direct response to individual customer needs and long-term customer loyalty. By creating additional environmental and social benefits, smart PSSs can also help promote sustainability.

However, the development of smart PSS is complex, as challenges of product development, service development as well as digital technologies have to be mastered in parallel. Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular are currently unable to cope with these complexities, which is due in particular to the following challenges identified in the project:

• Lack of methods
• Different understanding of added value
• Coordination across departmental and company boundaries

The project "SmartHaPSSS - "Harmonisation of the development of complex product smart service systems for SMEs" aims to bring the individual activities in the development of complex smart PSS in SMEs into resonance with each other in order to create common points of reference in the innovation process. The sustainability-oriented nature of the solutions developed is to be increased without restricting the dynamics of the individual activities. In this regard the product development and the development of smart services are to be harmonized and aligned to common goals. The "SmartHaPSSS" project forms a further component of "Innovations for tomorrow's production, services and work".