RQ2 - What is the relationship of PLM, PSS, Digital Twins,

The relationship between Service-Systems (PSS), Smart Connected Product-Service Systems (SCPSS) and Digital Twins was discussed in Chapter 5.1. In the same chapter, the relationship between Digital Twins and Real-time Simulation was shown based on Publications II and IV. It is therefore possible to conclude that there is a relationship between these concepts. The link to Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) can be seen in Figure 5.2 as the Digital Thread domain. However, this only covers one domain of the proposed SCPSS. The product information is stored in the Business Information System, but this is a limited view of the SCPSS. The goal and purpose of PLM is to manage the complete system definition over its lifecycle and therefore must be embedded into the overall SCPSS concept into the multiple domains. The result in Publication V and I show that the PLM is still evolving include SCPS and extended digital services. One of the challenges is the PLM investments previously done in the case companies and the difficulty to change current operating models. The goal of PLM is to manage the whole products information over its lifecycle and create a closed loop between the different lifecycles. We can conclude that the implementation of PLM takes years and the fast advances in technology have companies with more complex PSS and SCPS to manage with PLM Concept that does not fully support their needs.

If one of the primary goals of PLM in the SCPSS context is to manage information and data about the system over its lifecycle, we can propose an information model domains and object that need to be included (Figure 5.5). In black the traditional structure element exists according to the RFLP-Concept element and in grey are the added elements.

Figure 5.5 Proposed Smart Connected Product-Service System (SCPSS) structure modified from Figure 2.7.

5.2 RQ2 - What is the relationship of PLM, PSS, Digital Twins, and multibody

real-time simulation in creating SCPSS? 77

The Requirement element should also include the Use Cases and Test Case information that is needed to manage the SCPSS over its lifecycle. The Functional elements should also include the simulation real-time simulation elements in addition to the product functional and process information. Designing a system to do a function gives different logical and physical alternatives to select from. The Logical and Physical elements must be extended to include information of the SCPSS domains including both hardware and software elements, including physical can virtual elements. The Location & Behaviour in the Environment Data (LBED) element consist of the location of the different element of the SCPSS and also the data collected from the SCPSS in use. The combination of these element builds the capability to run machine learning services that are offered to the customer as extended digital service and the elements can also be used to create real-time simulations of the SCPSS or parts of it based on the RFLP and LBED elements. The Machine Learning and Real-time Simulation capabilities can form the Digital Twin at a particular time (SCPSS baseline) of the Digital Thread of one instance or all instances being over the lifecycle. The IoT connection between the SCPSS and facilitates the receival and transmission of all types of product information to create the Digital Twin and Thread and transmit information to the SCPSS instance that the customer.

The PLM concept presented in Publication I and Publication VI resulted in concepts that aligned PLM with the Enterprise Architecture and Business Models the context of complex product, service, and plant. In Publication VII and Publication V Smart-Service and Digitally Extended PSS were explored that help better understand the changes that manufacturers are facing with introduction of digital and smart service and products.

Based on the result from these publications and the literature review done in this thesis, we propose a high-level SCPSS Lifecycle Management Concept (Figure 5.6) that aligns to the Business Model Lifecycle Concept (Figure 5.4). It is important to note that the Phases on the Business Model can contain all of the lifecycle Phases and therefore the cycle rate of the two concepts is different, that is, the business model is slower to change and typically will contain multiple elements from the offering portfolio in the form of products, service and SCPSS. The addition of the SCPSS lifecycle to the concept illustrates that the system can be developed digitally, in the Phase 1, using the Digital Twin and Digital Thread and create the integrations to the other domains that often exist within the manufacturer or in its business ecosystem. As the SCPSS moves to Phase 2, the SCPSS is offered to the customer and sold a Digital Twin of a certain definition level that is used for the basis of the delivered and commissioned SCPSS. Once the SCPSS is commissioned in Phase 3, the operational data can be brought back to offer additional digital services that can vary to the smart solutions and services that can independently adjust their behaviour to the changing environment either through machine learning based or real-time simulation-based models. The importance of the Enterprise Architecture is significant for the full utilisation of SCPSS, but the importance of the layer change where the data architecture and its data content become a key element for sustainable business.

This places importance that the Business Information System architecture is optimised for the Business Model goals and the data integration to the SCPSS elements exists and

5 Discussion and conclusions 78

is efficient. The role of the IoT connection through different Application Programming Interface (API) will be essential for this model to work optimally.

Figure 5.6: SCPSS Lifecycle Management Concept and alignment to the Business Model and Business Ecosystem Lifecycle.

Combining the Third Concept and the Fifth Concept, we can propose a unified concept that can help manufacturers to gain more insight on the role of SCPSS in creating sustainable business in ecosystems.