A survey of digital B2B platforms and marketplaces for purchasing industrial product service systems: A conceptual framework

The shift of profit margins from products to services, has transformed traditional production equipment supplier industries to providers of Industrial Product-Service Systems (IPSS). IPSS is a new business model for consistent delivery of industrial products such as production equipment and manufacturing services (Manufacturing as a Service). However, procurement of IPSS between industrial companies (i.e. Business-to-Business - B2B) is more complicated compared to the case of products offered to consumers (i.e. Business-to-Consumer – B2C). The complexity in interaction between the involved B2B stakeholders, the lack of trust and high costs especially for Small Medium Enterprises have hampered the establishment of standardized e-marketplaces in a similar manner as in the business to consumer world. This research work presents an overview on the requirements to support supply-chain processes on a digital B2B platform as well as a discussion of the objectives and the benefits of this multi-sided platform.