BearingPoint and Black Winch team up to support manufacturers with as-a-Service models

BearingPoint has inked a partnership with Black Winch, a Dutch company that helps manufacturers build and launch subscription-based business models for their assets and products.

Launched in 2020, Black Winch specialises in what is needed to build an ‘as-a-Service’ model for products. Originally concepted in the software space, where Software as a Service (SaaS) has become a mainstream way of doing business benefiting both providers and users, its counterpart in the manufacturing realm – Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) – has over the past years gained strong momentum.

According to Yann Toutant, CEO of Black Winch, PaaS can offer manufacturers a number of attractive benefits such as unlocking new markets and revenues, delivering greater customer value, and generating more recurring business.

“In addition to the many economic benefits of as-a-Service, one of the consequences of this model is that it allows for the extension of the use of life, promotes the reuse of the product and additionally reduces the social and environmental impacts of its production. This enables a more sustainable business model too,” Toutant explained.

From legacy to as-a-Service

Shifting from today’s business models to an as-a-Service model requires more than a repackaging of sales & marketing outings. “The shift from selling products to delivering outcomes necessitates businesses to rethink how they operate, monetize, and sustain long-term value creation.”

That is why manufacturers turn to Black Winch for guidance and support. Now teaming up with BearingPoint, Toutant believes the firm is in a stronger position to support as-a-Service transformations in an integral manner, from strategy to implementation.

“BearingPoint’s expertise in strategic transformation, intelligent asset management, analytics as well as operational efficiency complements our practical, hands-on approach, ensuring that manufacturers have everything they need to make the shift successfully,” Toutant noted.

With over 6,500 staff, BearingPoint is one of Europe’s largest management and technology consulting firms. The firm is also one of the leading players in the manufacturing scene, and has experience in both the PaaS and Saas (and other as-a-Service) segments.

“Black Winch and BearingPoint share the philosophy that as-a-Service combines both profitability with sustainability,” stated Jaco van Zijll Langhout, partner at BearingPoint. “Black Winch brings extensive experience in operationalizing PaaS models, while BearingPoint contributes expertise in strategy, digitalization, asset optimization, and operational efficiency. Together, we enable businesses to accelerate their shift to service-based and circular and models with confidence.”

Partner network

With BearingPoint on board, Black Winch now has around a dozen partners – consulting firms and technology providers that play their part in manufacturing’s transition to PaaS models.