SME Manufacturers in Quebec: Adding Services to Boost Competitiveness and the Bottom Line

Small manufacturing firms can build more stable and long-term revenue by adding services to their product offerings. Based on a literature review and input from Quebec-based firms, this report outlines the challenges and offers recommendations.

Document Highlights

In response to changing patterns of international trade and industrial organization in the global economy, successful manufacturing firms are adding services to their product offerings. The provision of services confers benefits such as higher profit margins, a more stable source of revenue, and less risk that competitors will be able to imitate the offering. This report outlines the challenges facing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that want to make the transition to adopting a service offering, and offers recommendations for developing and implementing a successful service strategy. The result of collaboration between Signal49 Research and McGill University, the report reviews international literature on the subject and presents the results of an online survey and case studies of Quebec-based manufacturing SMEs.