Abstract
A variety of skill sets need to be developed during the transition from engineering product to customer service. Service may be defined as the application of competencies for the benefit of another. To facilitate the realisation of value (benefit), those working in servitizing firms must maintain the specialist competence of manufacturing, whilst developing new generalist competencies that involve understanding customer value, management, integrative abilities and openness. Transdisciplinary Engineering (TE) is the ability to transcend a single discipline to deliver value by drawing upon multiple competencies from across the disciplines. This study argues servitization is an intrinsically transdisciplinary process. Despite the need for broader service competencies, a lack of knowledge surrounding competencies needed for transdisciplinary servitization persists. Difficulties arise due to TE being a developing knowledge area. TE processes will already exist in servitization, but because the concept is poorly understood, formalisation has not yet taken place. The study seeks to open a new line of research into TE competencies required for servitization and their development. To frame the TE field in the servitization context, generalist lessons from TE working are used.