9. The industrial company becomes a service company

As some researchers predict, and as many industrial companies are already proving, one of the strategic axes of their future development will be in the customer service sector.

Aware of a potential that is often under-exploited and frequently more lucrative than product manufacturing, savvy manufacturers are positioning themselves downstream in the value chain, offering customers of their products services traditionally the preserve of specialist companies .

The archetypal industrial company, whose sole role is to design, manufacture and sell products to an often anonymous clientele, is an image of the...