Data value for companies and other actors

The interviews also investigated value of the data to the companies themselves and to other actors in ecosystem-like environment. First, companies' own needs for data were determined.

An interesting finding was that usage data was mentioned in almost every answer in some way (Table 8), and that providing maintenance services with reliability management turned out to be the most popular use for this usage data.

Table 8. Companies' own data needs

Company Own business needs for life cycle data, focus of data

#1 Data from devices, very little external needs.

#2 Data for predictive maintenance services and maintaining reliability of equipment.

#3 Data creates most value for maintenance department. Installed space data is important. Interest in productization of service.

#4 Data from customer's processes, usage data.

#5 Equipment usage data, data on rapid phenomena: "Black box" type of information.

#6 Interest in subcontractors’ inventory values and levels. Equipment usage data is utilized in design phase, production data is only for internal use.

#7 Equipment usage data to design a device which exactly meets the customer needs.

#8 The usage data from equipment is of interest. Process data, quality information and analyzes can be generated based on the usage data.

Representative from company #1 told they have very little external data needs, as most of the data comes directly from the device itself. In company #2 the data was utilized especially for providing maintenance services and maintaining reliability of customers’ equipment. The interviewee also added that in their view, the greatest potential for data utilization in predictive maintenance begins after the equipment has been in use for 5 + years. Same sort of use for data emerged also from company #3, where the interviewee stated the data creates most value for maintenance department. This company found installed space data important, since product life

cycles are long and thus holding big business opportunities in maintenance and modernization.

The interviewee mentioned also having interest in productization of services straight from a product planning phase: productization could include service descriptions, spare parts packages and so on. Company #4 was interested in usage data from customers’ processes, same as company #5 which raised especially the need of data on rapid phenomena: for example, a

"Black box" type of information behind fault situations benefits recoverability and reliability.

#5’s interviewee told they were offering services using artificial intelligence for usage data processing with alarms if there are signs of something that should be addressed on. Usage data was utilized also in company #6 in product design phase. Company #7’s interviewee stated that having equipment usage data and information about how the devices are run, how long times and how big loads would help to design a device which exactly meets the customer needs.

Lastly, also representative from company #8 mentioned their interest in equipment usage data, hence process data, quality information and different analyzes can be generated based on it.

Company #6’s interviewees mentioned data needs which were a bit different compared to others. They were interested especially in their subcontractors’ inventory values and levels of a virtual inventory because those are owned by the subcontractors and not themselves. They were utilizing the equipment usage data in the design phase and emphasized that their production data is only for internal use.

Among companies own data needs and interests, the interviewees were asked about how they see value of data for other actors in ecosystem-like environment to look like and in which processes the data would be most useful. The answers were once again a bit differing (Table 9).

Table 9. Data value for other actors Company Value of data for other actors

#1 Easily accessible data is valuable. Equipment end users are likely not willing to pay for data.

#2 Customers are willing to share their data to manufacturer and data can be used free of charge.

#3 Data needs for ensuring reliability & process monitoring. Data-based tools for efficient selling.

#4 Data value for others had not been thought much. Authorized maintenance providers could be possible beneficiaries. Customers are asking for simulation models.

#5 Data value for others had not been thought much.

#6 Data value for others had not been thought much. Possibility of productizing the data.

#7 No data.

#8 Customers have very different data needs. Data exchange between different actors’ devices would be useful.

Company #1 representative stated that easily accessible data is valuable for their subcontractors and logistics operators as it helps with planning, assembling and maintenance. According to company #2, their customers do not feel they own the usage data but instead feel can benefit through business development if they share the equipment data with its manufacturer. They have found the win-win situation and thus, so far, the data can be used free of charge.

Interviewee from company #3 told that the greatest value of data to their customers is in reliability management, hence the data is utilized with process monitoring. As for third parties, the resale distributors could benefit on the data as it can provide tools for efficient selling. More sales would also benefit the manufacturing firm itself.

Interviewee from company #4 told that the value of data for different actors has not been thought much in their company. He evaluated that authorized maintenance providers could benefit of shared data. Also, customers could benefit on the data if it provides information to device manufacturer about device's current state and when to do a maintenance for it. He mentioned that their customers are asking for product simulation models. In company #5 the situation was quite same as in company #4, the data value for other actors had not been thought that much. He also added that the data must benefit their company above all, maybe in some situations their subcontractors too. However, the had noted that their customers find recoverability essential especially in maintenance operations, and thus could benefit data related to it. Representatives from company #6 agreed with above presented #4’s #5’s views:

data value for other actors had not been thought much. However, in company #6 they have a possibility of productizing the data, but the question is if they want to: this was something their representatives were not sure about. Company #8’s representative wished that equipment of different actors inside one factory were able to exchange data. He stated that their customers clearly have different data needs, as some produce mass production, others focus on expensive quality and so on. Interviewee from company #7 did not presented his ideas about data value for other actors.