Aftersales in Product and Series Development
Securing the Future in Design: Why Aftersales Belongs in the Executive Suite of Product Development
In today’s industry, performance after the sale determines long-term business success, margins, and brand loyalty. The days when aftersales was seen merely as an extension of production or a reactive repair service are over.
The strategic imperative is clear: serviceability must already be a central development objective in the concept phase. The course for customers’ Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) (i.e., the total cost of a product over its entire service life – including maintenance, repairs, and downtime), the efficiency of their aftersales processes, and overall business success is set during product and series development.
Those who design components, modules, and systems from the outset for minimal downtime, low maintenance costs, and high lifecycle performance create decisive competitive advantages: the company sustainably reduces costs, secures stable margins, and establishes a brand-defining, long-term service quality.
The Strategic Pillars: What Does “Aftersales in Product and Series Development” Mean?
The Aftersales Strategy is defined by the early interaction of three core areas: product development lays the structural and strategic foundation, series development ensures operational feasibility, and product documentation translates this knowledge into service excellence. Only through this seamless integration does a product achieve long-term profitability – through lower TCO, stable spare parts margins, and sustainable customer satisfaction. Those who master these interfaces secure consistently higher profitability and customer satisfaction.
Aftersales Product Development: Design for the Service Case
Aftersales product development lays the strategic foundation for aftermarket success. This development approach (often referred to as Design for Service or Lifecycle-Oriented Design) integrates structural requirements (maintenance, repairability, spare parts supply) and future service design (service offerings, lifecycle management) into the product creation process at an early stage. The product is conceived to be physically serviceable, and requirements are anchored directly in the specifications, thereby setting the course for the product’s long-term profitability.
Objectives of Aftersales Product Development
- Reduction of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for operators and customers
- Improved maintainability through optimized accessibility, clearly defined service points, and modular assemblies
- Higher repair efficiency through reduced Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) and simplified replacement processes
- Reliable spare parts supply through early-defined spare parts strategies and durable parts classifications
- Increased product lifespan through robust, maintenance-friendly, and lifecycle-optimized design
- Enhanced service quality through improved diagnostic capabilities and documented fault patterns
- Stabilization of aftermarket revenues through predictable spare parts and service processes across the entire product lifecycle
Series Development with an Aftersales Focus: From Planning to Lifecycle
Series development is the detailed process that brings a product to series maturity – from design through A-, B-, and C-samples, pre-series to production release. Series development with an aftersales focus (often referred to as Service-Oriented Series Development) expands this process to include long-term serviceability: near-series samples (e.g., C-samples) are tested not only for functionality but intensively for service suitability, evaluation of maintenance intervals, and repair times (MTTR) under realistic operating conditions. In addition to manufacturing costs, the entire Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is assessed, including early planning of spare parts strategies (from Initial Provisioning to EOP) and consideration of product compliance (e.g., repairability scores, documentation obligations). (Further details can be found in our Business Area Compliance & Legal).
Objectives of Aftersales Series Development
- Ensuring long-term serviceability across the entire product lifecycle
- Optimization of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) through low-maintenance and service-friendly designs
- Integration of service, diagnostics, and spare parts requirements into all sample phases (A-, B-, C-samples, pre-series,…)
- Predictable spare parts supply far beyond EOP to minimize failure risks and claims
- Increased reliability through service-oriented testing, field simulations, and diagnostic capability
- Harmonization of engineering, production, and aftermarket to significantly reduce later changes and claim costs
After-Sales Product Documentation: Foundation for Efficient Support
Aftersales product documentation forms the central link between design, series maturity, and daily service operations. It includes all technical and service-oriented documents that customers and service technicians require after the sale to maintain, repair, or identify spare parts (e.g., spare parts catalogues, maintenance schedules). Documentation translates design knowledge, component structures, and service requirements into clear, usable information for technicians and service organizations. Only when this knowledge is precise and digitally available can downtime (VOR – Vehicle Off Road) and service errors be minimized.
Aftersales product documentation is the key to designing aftersales processes efficiently, reliably, and cost-effectively. It represents the interface between product development, service, and spare parts management. Only when information on components, maintenance cycles, repair processes, and spare parts is available early and accurately can downtime be minimized, service processes optimized, and customer satisfaction increased.
Objectives of After-Sales Product Documentation
- Provision of complete, structured, and version-secure information for maintenance, repair, and support
- Ensuring spare parts availability through precise bills of materials, exploded views, and parts classifications
- Reduction of service errors through clear, understandable instructions and diagnostic aids
- Increased efficiency in aftersales through optimized documentation that supports service technicians and internal processes
- Long-term knowledge retention across the entire product lifecycle, including updates following changes or improvements
- Support of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) optimization by making service efforts predictable and cost-efficient
EFS Consulting Service Portfolio Aftersales in Product and Series Development
The EFS Consulting service portfolio focuses on how companies can integrate the aftersales perspective into the product creation process at an early stage – from product definition through product development to series development. This reduces the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), ensures maximum serviceability, and increases spare parts margins throughout the entire product lifecycle. Our aftersales experts provide the necessary aftersales solutions and strategic clarity to design products from the ground up for service excellence and profitability.
The Following Areas in Aftersales in Product and Series Development are Covered by EFS
With our comprehensive expertise in Aftersales Consulting and Aftersales Management, we specialize in aligning the optimization of aftersales processes specifically with the requirements of product development. We ensure that all service aspects – from design to product documentation – are optimally structured to achieve service efficiency and spare parts margins.
The following core areas demonstrate how we empower your organization to profitably integrate the aftersales perspective into your series development:
- Integration of Aftersales requirements into the product creation process
- Service-, repair-, and circular-oriented product design
- Lifecycle management and spare parts strategy
- Optimization of Aftersales product documentation
- Digital enablers for development and service data
- Organizational anchoring and enablement of aftersales integration
1. Integration of Aftersales Requirements into the Product Creation Process
This service establishes the conceptual foundation for a serviceable product. We ensure that aftersales requirements are systematically incorporated into the early phases of development to avoid costly corrective changes at the end of series production.
EFS Consulting Services:
- Requirements Management & Specifications: Definition of clear Design for Service rules and metrics (e.g., maximum replacement time for critical components) and anchoring them in the specifications (SpecBooks).
- Process Adjustment & Gate Reviews: Integration of aftersales checkpoints into all phases of series development (A-, B-, C-samples, pre-series,…) for early error detection, including installation and removal tests.
- Service & Maintenance Concepts: Development of initial service and maintenance concepts in the product definition phase (Concept Development), including the definition of necessary special tools.
- Feedback Loop Design: Establishment of a structured return flow of field data (warranty, damage cases, claims) into development and design departments for continuous improvement.
2. Service-, Repair-, and Circular-Oriented Product Design
This service ensures that components are optimally designed for service, value retention, and repairability. We optimize the design to enable minimal maintenance costs and maximize material recovery.
EFS Consulting Services:
- Design for Disassembly (DfD) Analysis: Evaluation of components and modules regarding ease of disassembly, accessibility, and replaceability (e.g., Turn Label to Parts strategy) to minimize workshop labor time.
- Modularization & Spare Parts Concepts: Optimal modularization for service to reduce repair time and warranty risks through the replacement of complete assemblies.
- Diagnostics & Repair Concepts: Development and validation of repair solutions and necessary diagnostic concepts (e.g., DTC structures – Diagnostic Trouble Codes) already in the prototype phase (service checks).
- TCO Modeling & Risk Assessment: Holistic calculation of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), including goodwill costs, service contracts (Service & Mobility contracts), and the value of recyclable materials.
3. Lifecycle Management and Spare Parts Strategy
We strategically secure spare parts availability and optimize the cost structure across the entire product lifecycle – from first hardware testing phases to end of production (EOP).
EFS Consulting Services:
- Service Bill of Material (sBOM) Management: Establishment and maintenance of the service BOM, including derivation from the engineering BOM and ensuring structured data consistency across PLM, ERP, and service platforms.
- Initial Provisioning: Strategic planning of spare parts quantities for market launch based on reliability analyses and failure forecasts (spare parts definition).
- EOP Supply Strategies: Development of concepts to cost-effectively secure post-series supply until the End of Delivery Obligation (EDO), considering warehousing and packaging concepts.
- Obsolescence Management: Management of supersession, interchangeability, and obsolescence to keep spare parts logistics efficient.
4. Optimization of After-Sales Product Documentation
This service ensures that all information required for service and customers is available quickly, error-free, and in optimal quality. Technical documentation becomes a driver of efficiency in support.
EFS Consulting Services:
- Service-Oriented Content Design: Development of concepts for spare parts catalogues and maintenance manuals tailored to the needs of service personnel (standardization of formats and publications).
- Documentation Networking: Integration of documentation databases with aftersales processes and systems for fast access and efficient fault diagnosis.
- Service Engineering & Documentation: Translation of design data into clear repair/maintenance methods and enabling Design-for-Service feedback to engineering.
- Digital Product Passport (DPP) in Aftersales: Consulting and implementation of the Digital Product Passport to store and utilize lifecycle data and the entire service history.
5. Digital Enablers for Development and Service Data
We use digital technologies to enable transparency and data-driven management at the critical interface between development and service.
EFS Consulting Services:
- Digital Twin in Service: Establishment of the digital twin for data-based control of maintenance decisions and improved failure forecasting.
- Lifecycle Data Analytics: Use of field data (Fault Elimination Management) to identify design weaknesses and accelerate the feedback loop into product development.
- Data-Driven Quality Loop: Establishment of data lakes and predictive analytics to forecast warranty and failure rates based on field data for direct use in development.
- Digitalization of Diagnostics: Implementation of tools and processes to digitally capture service data and dynamically link product documentation.
6. Organizational Anchoring and Enablement of Aftersales Integration
Successful integration requires organizational enablement at all levels. We enable your aftersales organization to operate as an integrated partner within the product lifecycle ecosystem – not only procedurally, but also culturally and organizationally.
EFS Consulting Services:
- Organizational Enablement: Adjustment of roles, processes, and incentive systems at the interface between development and aftersales to sustainably support the Design for Service strategy.
- Change Management: Support of the change process to anchor the aftersales contribution in the product creation process within the corporate culture.
- Training Programs: Development and implementation of specific training sessions and programs for employees in development and service to promote knowledge transfer and the use of data.
The TCO Trap: Why Your Product Costs Explode in the Workshop
EFS Consulting recognizes the typical pain point: the high cost of acting too late. Our more than 30 years of experience in aftersales consulting and aftersales management show that many companies massively underestimate the true impact of insufficient serviceability in the product development process. The voice of aftersales is often heard too late – or not at all.
- Design to Assemble vs. Design to Disassemble: Although products can be assembled efficiently, complex, nested assemblies lead to extremely high service and repair costs. The product is not optimized for easy disassembly.
- Unnecessary Workshop Costs: The imbalance between minimal aftersales requirements in early phases and real service checks on prototypes results in inefficient repair methods and excessive workshop labor times.
- The “Turn Label to Parts” Dilemma: You pay unnecessarily high warranty and goodwill costs because you must compensate workshops for expensive labor time instead of inexpensive components. Spare parts concepts are not designed to replace as many parts as possible with minimal effort.
The Result: Insufficient serviceability costs you millions over the entire product lifecycle, reduces margins, and frustrates your service partners and customers.
Why EFS Consulting
- EFS Consulting understands aftersales as a strategic profit engine – often the largest lever for results and lifetime revenue, systematically underestimated in many organizations.
- Aftersales profit levers are identified early in the product development process, made transparent in the business case, and bindingly anchored in specifications – long before late changes cause high costs.
- EFS Consulting ensures that aftersales is heard early in the cross-functional organization and establishes serviceability, diagnostic capability, and spare parts concepts as clear decision criteria in early development phases. Service challenges are translated into concrete engineering requirements, trade-offs are evaluated in euros and minutes, and feasibility is secured through prototype checks as well as digital and real service validation.
- In addition, EFS Consulting develops well-thought-out repair-vs.-replace and kitting strategies that reduce workshop times and warranty costs while simultaneously increasing parts margins and service revenues across the entire lifecycle.
- By systematically closing the loop between field data, warranty/claims, and development, root-cause-to-design-change is significantly accelerated and recurring failures are measurably reduced – scalable and sustainable.
- In this way, EFS Consulting anchors organizational enablement across all levels and ensures that aftersales and R&D act as an integrated team – not as an interface.
