The shift from after-sales service to design servicing competence: A study of the manufacture of sanitary ware and their integration of sustainable technologies

In the area of product manufacturing, the traditional procedure of “after-sales service” has remained isolated to post-sales product assessment. However, with the recent awareness toward a paradigm of sustainable technologies, much of the competitive query is informed by the operational information of users and its localized environmental context. The two have become a pressing insight to build knowledge for providing sustainable solutions. In order to establish a company´s competence, once product-oriented companies must now account for uncertain contextual environments and use-based information, and the integration of these factors into technological capabilities and service they provide. The study follows a manufacturing company who has incorporated such knowledge-building processes by advancing their feedback technique, integrating a “design servicing” process into their business structure. The process of transforming contextual information into a parameter for their technological services is analyzed here. The paper analyzes how the feedback/information from the operational period of the artifacts were managed a) in the manufacturing and technology sector, and b) as spatial information in the servicing sector of the company. In order to position the boundary of information/technology management within a product-environment relationship, the paper documents technological advancements that are more responsive to environment-driven, contemporary user demands.