Innovation and Product Realisation
Digital and Circular Industrial Services (DigiCircle)
The research group focuses on the initiation, development, and operations of digital and circular industrial services, taking into account ongoing shifts and issues at both firm and ecosystem levels, to achieve sustainability and climate-neutral goals.
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The group situates its research within the broader contexts of Industry 4.0/5.0, the Circular Economy, the Sharing Economy, and Twin Transition, with an ambition to address and achieve sustainability and climate-neutral goals.
The group considers both technological and managerial aspects in exploring, integrating, and managing the role of different advanced digital technologies such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Augmented Reality, and Big Data Analytics in enabling digital and circular industrial services. By doing so, the group aims to contribute to the development of smarter and circular industrial ecosystems, while also creating new business opportunities for firms.
The research group investigates the relevant topics in the following four tracks (T) across product lifecycle:
- Track 1 - Digital and circular services in the early phases and during product development
- Track 2 - Digital and circular services during the production
- Track 3 - Digital and circular services during the product usage or product in operations
- Track 4 - Digital and circular services at the end-of-life
The illustration show the product life cycle and the four tracks across product life cycle.
With a user-centred focus, the group aims to advance knowledge in four main areas covering various industrial systems contexts.
Business model innovation:
Focuses on the intersection of digitalization and circular economy principles to develop innovative business models for the future. It aims to redefine value propositions, value creation, delivery, and capture mechanisms in industrial services. The area emphasizes fostering collaborative innovation across industrial value chains or ecosystems while exploring the potential of digital, circular, or digitally-enabled (smart) circular service portfolios. (Lead: Ignat Kulkov)
Capability development:
Focuses on developing operational strategies, skills, and competencies essential for companies and industrial ecosystems to design, implement, and scale digital and circular services throughout the product lifecycle. It emphasizes building dynamic capabilities, strengthening network and ecosystem management, and harnessing the synergies between digitalization and circularity. (Lead: Anas Fattouh)
Enabling technologies:
Explores the role of advanced digital technologies in transforming industrial services into digital and circular ecosystems. Key technologies include Industrial IoT, cloud and edge computing, AI, ML, AR/VR, blockchain, and next-generation connectivity (5G/6G), which enable seamless remote and integrated operations. Emphasis is placed on the selection, integration, and application of cutting-edge innovations such as generative AI, federated learning, digital twins, and digital platforms. These technologies support data-driven decision-making and the development of service-oriented architectures and microservices, fostering digital and circular industrial ecosystems. (Lead: Auday Aldulaimy)
Transition management:
Focuses on strategies, processes, and pathways to guide companies and ecosystems through the shift to digital and/or circular (twin) operations. This includes aligning cross-functional organizations and leadership at strategic, tactical, and operational levels to drive transformation, supported by policies, standards, and decentralized approaches. Key elements include mobilizing change, fostering collaboration, cultivating organizational culture, identifying critical factors, and assessing readiness levels using maturity models. The aim is to develop resilient, adaptable systems that support change management and ensure a smooth, sustainable transition. (Lead: Yuji Yamamoto)
LinkedIn page for DigiCircle
Connect with us at LinkedINPublications
- Chirumalla, K., Reyes, L.G., & Toorajipour, R. (2022). Mapping a circular business opportunity in electric vehicle battery value chain: A multi-stakeholder framework to create a win–win–win situation, Journal of Business Research, 145, 569-582.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.02.070
External link.
Best paper award in Innovation, Management, and Governance for Sustainable Growth in 14th Academy of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Knowledge Conference, 2021. - Rad, F.F., Oghazi, P., Palmie, M., Chirumalla, K., Pashkevich, N., & Patel, P.C. (2022). Industry 4.0 and supply chain performance: A systematic literature review of the benefits, challenges, and critical success factors of 11 core technologies, Industrial Marketing Management, 105, 268-293.
- Toorajipour, R., Chirumalla, K., Parida, V., Johansson, G., Dahlquist, E., & Wallin, E. (2022). Preconditions of Circular Business Model Innovation for the Electric Vehicle Battery Second Life: An Ecosystem Perspective. In: 10th Swedish Production Symposium, 2022, Skövde, Sweden.
https://ebooks.iospress.nl/volumearticle/59306 External link. - Åkesson, J., Sundström, A., Chirumalla, K., & Johansson, G. (2022). Exploring Challenges to Design Product-Service Systems in SMEs – A Case Study. In: 10th Swedish Production Symposium, 2022, Skövde. Best paper award within Integrated Product and Production Development.
https://ebooks.iospress.nl/volumearticle/59285 External link. - Leoni, L. and Chirumalla, K. (2021). Exploring Dynamic Capabilities to Facilitate a Smoother Transition from Servitization to Digital Servitization: A Theoretical Framework. In M. Kohtamäki, T. Baines, R. Rabetino, A. Z. Bigdeli, C. Kowalkowski, R. Oliva, & V. Parida (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Servitization (pp. 165–180). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Mostaghel, R. & Chirumalla, K. (2021). Role of customers in circular business models. Journal of Business Research, Vol. 127, 35-44.
- Vu, F., Rahic, M. and Chirumalla, K. (2020). Exploring second life applications for electric vehicle batteries. In: 9th Swedish Production Symposium, 6-9 October 2020.
- Chirumalla, K., Emmanuel-Ebikake, O., Leoni, L., Servati, M. (2019). Intra-firm and interfirm challenges in servitization ecosystem: Experiences from five product-centric firms in different industries. In: 22nd International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED), Delft, Netherlands, 05-08 August 2019.
- Lindhult, E., Chirumalla, K., Pejvak, O. & Parida, V. (2018). Value logics for service innovation – Practice driven implications for servicedominant logic. Service Business, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 457-481.
- Chirumalla, K., Pejvak, O. & Parida, V. (2018). Social media engagement strategy: Investigation of marketing and R&D interfaces in manufacturing industry. Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 74, pp. 138-149.
- Chirumalla, K. (2016). Organizing lessons learned practice for product-service innovation. Journal of Business Research, Vol. 69, pp. 4986-4991.
Ongoing research projects
ShiftLabs is an organization dedicated to supporting the adoption and integration of new digital technologies among small and medium-sized manufacturing companies.
Project manager at MDU: Johan Kostela
Main financing: Digital Europe (EU kommissionen)
The project will examine how advanced digital technologies, including the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and Big Data analytics, can support battery circularity by developing suitable models, methods, and tools.
Project manager at MDU: Koteshwar Chirumalla
Main financing: Knowledge Foundation
The SmartCharg goal is to evaluate the potential of battery circularity approaches for creating supplementary charging solutions for electric vehicles.
Project manager at MDU: Koteshwar Chirumalla
Main financing: Vinnova
The project aims to be the next step toward digital representation, simulation, and optimization in the off-road industry through simulation models that can mirror the physical world from system to site level
Project manager at MDU: Anas Fattouh
Main financing: Vinnova