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The Digital Servitization Exchange Podcast
Connecting research and practice in the transformation from products to digital services.
The Digital Servitization Exchange Podast explores how manufacturers create and capture value through services and software. Designed for both researchers and practitioners, the podcast brings together academic insight and industry experience to unpack the concepts, challenges, and opportunities driving digital servitization.
Each episode delves into themes such as service innovations, subscription models, industrial IoT, digital platform ecosystems, and organizational transformation. Rather than focusing on individual voices, the podcast emphasizes relevant topics that matter across domains — offering evidence-based perspectives for academics and actionable ideas for business professionals.
By bridging theory and practice, The Digital Servitization Exchange Podcast provides a space where learning flows both ways: from research to real-world implementation, and from practice back to research.
Ideal for: academics, doctoral researchers, industrial leaders, digital transformation managers, service strategists, and anyone shaping the future of digitally enabled services.
The Digital Servitization Exchange Podcast
#30 Acquiring Service Growth: How Atlas Copco Became a Service Leader Through M&A
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Description
How do strategic acquisitions turn an industrial manufacturer into a global service leader? In this episode, we examine how Atlas Copco transformed its business model between 2005 and 2025 by systematically acquiring distributors, service specialists, rental businesses, and technology firms to expand its installed base and recurring revenues
From early moves to strengthen aftermarket capabilities to major deals in vacuum technology and specialty rental, Atlas Copco used bolt-on acquisitions as a deliberate engine for service growth. By integrating these companies into dedicated service divisions and leveraging digital platforms like SmartLink, the firm increased service revenues to nearly 40% of total sales by 2025.
This case reveals how disciplined M&A, combined with customer intimacy and digitalization, can power long-term servitization in industrial markets.
Key Words:
Atlas Copco, Mergers and Acquisitions, Servitization Strategy, Aftermarket Growth, Installed Base Expansion, SmartLink, Specialty Rental, Industrial Services, Bolt-on Acquisitions, Recurring Revenue, Digital Transformation, Service Leadership