Photocopier industry: At the forefront of servitization

Abstract

The photocopier industry is undoubtedly one of the forerunners of servitization. The original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of photocopiers, such as Xerox, pioneered the implementation of servitized business models and, over time, have developed considerable system-integration, application-development and consulting capabilities. Today, these companies integrate print needs within total ICT solutions and compete against system integrators, consulting firms and software vendors in a large, diverse and growing document management market. This chapter provides a state of the art analysis of servitization phenomenon in the industry as well as a retrospective analysis of its evolution. The chapter ends with a discussion of managerial implications.