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 lowers barriers to automation for manufacturers facing labor shortages, volatile demand, and rising costs. By combining collaborative robots, cloud connectivity, AI-driven analytics, and flexible subscription models, ABB enables factories to deploy robotics faster, scale up or down as needed, and continuously optimize performance over time. The episode highlights how data, software, and remote services turn robots into evolving productivity assets instead of fixed capital investments.

This conversation shows why robotic-as-a-service is more than a pricing innovation—it’s a strategic shift in how value is created in manufacturing, positioning ABB as a long-term automation partner and accelerating the move toward smart, resilient, and digitally servitized factories.

Key words

Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS), Industrial Automation, Outcome-Based Models, Smart Manufacturing

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 outcomes.

The episode traces Komatsu’s journey from early telematics and machine automation to a fully integrated digital jobsite vision that connects drones, 3D design models, cloud platforms, AI analytics, and semi-autonomous equipment. We examine how Smart Construction transforms the entire construction workflow—from survey and planning to execution and inspection—and how Komatsu built an open ecosystem of partners, platforms, and consultants to scale this vision globally.

More than a technology story, this is a strategy and transformation story: how Komatsu changed its business model, empowered less-experienced workers to perform expert-level tasks, and repositioned itself as a long-term productivity partner rather than just an equipment supplier. It’s a compelling example of how digital servitization can reshape even the most traditional industries.

Key words

Smart Construction, Connected & Autonomous Machinery, Platform Ecosystems
Outcome-Based Productivity

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 makes M-Use® a standout example of outcome-based servitization. We also dive into the benefits for customers, the strategic advantages for Mitsubishi, and what this innovation reveals about the future of asset-heavy industries moving toward service-driven business models.

Key Words: Servitization, Performance-Based Model, Circular Economy, Predictive Maintenance, Value-in-Use, and Building Solutions

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 pivot, the 2016 Uniper spin-off, and the post-2019 reshaping after the innogy deal. We trace how E.ON moved from generation-heavy exposure to a model centered on regulated distribution networks, digital infrastructure, and customer solutions—spanning smart metering, energy efficiency, e-mobility, and integrated “energy-as-a-service” offerings for cities and industry.

You’ll hear what changed in E.ON’s capabilities (data, software, partnerships, operating model), what shifted financially (more stable earnings and investment patterns), and what the case reveals about how incumbents can survive—and even lead—during system-wide disruption.

Keywords

E.ON, Energiewende, Germany energy transition, utility transformation, Uniper spin-off, innogy acquisition, energy networks, regulated assets, smart grids, smart meters, energy retail, customer solutions, energy efficiency, distributed energy, e-mobility, EV charging, digital transformation, platform strategy, infrastructure investing, decarbonization, European utilities, corporate strategy case study

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 explore how the company shifted from a B2C hardware model to a B2B software and data platform through strategic acquisitions, service innovation, partnerships with Apple, Microsoft, and automakers, and the development of its groundbreaking TomTom Maps Platform. This case illustrates what it really takes for a traditional product company to reinvent itself as a digital services player.

Keywords:
TomTom, digital servitization, platform transformation, B2B strategy, location technology, PND, GPS, automotive software, smart mobility, mapping services, Google Maps, Apple Maps, corporate reinvention, digital maps, platform economy, business transformation, disruptive innovation, software-as-a-service (SaaS), open data, autonomous vehicles.

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 optimization across 150+ GW of turbines worldwide.
You’ll learn how Vestas moved from selling hardware to delivering outcomes—positioning services not just as a support function, but as the company’s most stable, high-margin growth engine. This episode illustrates what it takes to scale industrial services, build digital capabilities, and lead in the era of digital servitization.

Key words

Digital Servitization, Predictive Maintenance, Wind-as-a-Service, Multibrand O&M, Lifecycle Value, Energy Solutions, Platform Thinking

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 farming through platforms like connected telematics, digital farm management systems, and AI-powered innovations such as targeted spraying and autonomous operations. Rather than selling iron alone, Deere now delivers continuous value—helping farmers reduce inputs, increase yields, cut downtime, and improve sustainability across the entire growing season.

This episode highlights how precision agriculture, recurring revenue models, and outcome-focused services are reshaping not only John Deere’s business model, but the future of farming itself—where every acre, every pass, and every decision is informed by data and intelligent systems.

Key words

Precision Agriculture, Solutions-as-a-Service, Connected Machinery, AI-Driven Farming, and Sustainable Productivity

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 productivity, innovation, employment, and long-term regional resilience.
Using the wind-to-energy industry as a central case, the episode traces how leading European regions transformed wind turbine manufacturing into globally competitive renewable energy ecosystems. We examine how local service capabilities—R&D, engineering, digital monitoring, operations, and maintenance—became just as critical as physical production, enabling regions to scale globally, survive industry consolidation, and leap into new technologies such as offshore wind.
The discussion highlights why proximity, collaboration, and “value-adding fit” between manufacturers and service providers matter—and how territorial servitization offers fresh insights for regional development policy, industrial strategy, and sustainable transitions. Ultimately, this episode shows how regions can move beyond a factory-centric model toward hybrid value chains where services and manufacturing reinforce each other over decades.

Key words

Territorial Servitization, Regional Innovation Ecosystems, Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS), Wind-to-Energy Industry, Hybrid Value Chains

Description

In this episode, we explore a diverse set of AI innovation use cases from adaptive workplace tools to strategic industry solutions and truly transformative AI applications. What makes these ideas unique is how they were created: through close collaboration with students participating in the course Digital Futures and Responsible Innovation. Students didn’t just imagine what AI can do - they critically examined what AI should do. Each use case reflects hands-on student work that combines technical creativity with business reflection, addressing real-world challenges such as cybersecurity awareness, healthcare triage, mental health support, misinformation, smart factories, and sustainable everyday living.
The episode highlights how student teams applied responsible innovation principles privacy by design, human-centered AI, trust, inclusivity, and societal impact while developing concrete, implementable concepts. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how the next generation of leaders is shaping AI solutions that are not only intelligent, but also ethical, practical, and future-ready.

Key words

Co-Creation, Responsible AI, Student-Led, Human-Centered, Future-Ready

Description:

In this episode, we unpack Visa’s strategic evolution from a card-centric network into a $40+ billion AI-enabled global payments platform. We explore how Visa transformed its core infrastructure into Visa as a Service (VaaS)—a modular, API-first architecture now delivering embedded solutions across payments, identity, fraud prevention, analytics, and open banking.
The conversation dives into how Visa moved from reactive AI—primarily used to support card transactions—to positioning artificial intelligence as the engine of its business. Today, AI drives real-time decisioning, predictive risk scoring, and hyper-personalized insights, turning Visa’s data and global reach into a platform of intelligent trust and secure digital commerce.
You’ll learn how Visa’s shift from a $21.8B card-transaction business in 2020 to a $40B+ AI-first platform by 2025 reflects the broader platformization of financial services—and what it means for fintechs, merchants, banks, and the future of embedded finance.

Keywords:

AI-Driven, Platformization, Visa as a Service, Embedded AI, Trust Infrastructure, Modular Payments, Predictive Risk