Cyber-physical systems as a platform for value co-creation : case: intelligent equipment in mining and construction industry

Abstract

This thesis focuses on value co-creation in the context of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) in a networked business environment. The object is to investigate how value is co-created in one particular networked environment, in the min-ing and construction industry, where the intelligent equipment are examples of CPSs. The research is interpretive case study, including one case company, which is a global organization preparing tools and equipment for the mining and construction industry. The framework for value co-creation in Consumer Information Systems (CIS) is used as a framework for value co-creation to study how the different actors from the case company and their customers (=20) per-ceive value co-creation and what are the system value propositions enabling the value co-creation and the value drivers driving the actors to co-create value in the context of intelligent equipment. The data collection was done using the laddering technique and for the analysis a thematic approach was adopted to turn the data into meaningful graphical presentations.

The results indicate that the use and service experience related to intelligent equipment is the most important value driver in this context. Also the sharing and receiving information related to intelligent equipment and the use and operating environment of intelligent equipment are important from the value co-creation perspective. The core values that emerged were support cus-tomer’s process, efficiency and reliability. Based on the findings the service-centered perspective offers a broader view to value co-creation in the context of CPSs. This research integrates the cyber and physical world of CPSs but further research is required to form more comprehensive and broader understanding of the value co-creation in the field of CPSs in industrial context, since they are reaching the point of being technical systems and are more of socio-technical combinations including various different actors contributing to the value co-creation.