Model-driven service engineering towards the manufacturing liquid-sensing enterprise

Information and communication technology (ICT) has facilitated the introduction of mass customisation capabilities into the traditional Enterprise, especially in the domain of manufacturing. Currently individual end-customers are allowed to design and order a product that is uniquely tailored to their preferences. Servitization and product-based services have been gaining momentum to support the integration of products and services with customers. This has enabled companies to maintain a competitive advantage in contemporary markets. However, such capabilities demand more efficient processes, information systems to enable resources optimization, maximized collaborations along the value chains, and interoperable information flows. The FInES Research Roadmap 2025 identifies both Sensing Enterprise and Liquid Enterprise as two Qualities of Being that are strategic for any future enterprise. In fact, the enterprise needs to become self-aware not only in terms of their networked ecosystem but also in face of their inner subsystems and devices. This paper develops the concept of the liquid-sensing enterprise, exploring how modelling and model-driven development can support the transition and services implementation.