Modeling manufacturer’s capabilities for the Internet of Things

Purpose: This paper aims to identify a manufacturer’s abilities to develop, build, sell and deliver Internet of Things (IoT) services. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is a qualitative comparative case method that uses multiple sources of data, including executive interviews and secondary data, to understand a manufacturer’s IoT capabilities. Findings: Five strategic IoT capabilities were identified: digital business model development, scalable solution platform building, value selling, value delivery and business intelligence and measurement. Research limitations/implications: The main limitations are related to the qualitative research method applied. The results are applicable mainly to relatively large and global manufacturers. Practical implications: Managers responsible for solution business development can apply the developed model to acquire and manage IoT specific resources, processes and capabilities. Originality/value: Existing studies have not addressed the IoT-specific resources, processes and capabilities that manufacturers’ possess. This is one of the first studies to conceptualize how these capabilities are used.