Industrial field service network planning: Existing methods in supply chain planning and modeling and their applicability for field services

Supply chain planning and modeling has been a major topic in operations management in the last years. This contribution provides a review of approaches for the design and management of supply chains in manufacturing. Although industrial field services have become a major business pillar for most western machine and equipment manufacturers, there is no guided approach for planning the infrastructure of the networks for industrial field service delivery yet. Based on case study research this paper identifies the unique characteristics and challenges of the service business of OEMs and external service providers for industrial goods. Furthermore, a conceptual framework for developing a structured and holistic approach for planning these networks is introduced.