Fast-paced technology lifecycles continuously increase the uncertainty of decision-making processes when it comes to acquisition of new technological innovations. This is especially true in case of technology acquisitions by means of equipment replacement that is often capital intensive and time consuming. The midlife upgrade strategy, building on manufacturing servitization and product-service system (PSS) business models, presents a promising alternative to traditional equipment replacement. Midlife upgrades describe the extension of capital equipment’s remaining useful life by means of upgrading components, sub-systems or the like in response to certain triggers from users, environment, or market. However, the concept of midlife upgrade has thus far been discussed primarily from a theoretical perspective in literature. The state of the art lacks empirical evidence regarding the potential and outcome of successful midlife upgrades. In this paper, our objective is to empirically investigate the potential of midlife upgrade of capital equipment as a value-adding alternative to traditional equipment replacement in the context of servitization. To this end, first we develop a replacement decision framework based on the influencing factors and motivations behind equipment replacement. Then we present five case studies of capital equipment that have been upgraded during their middle of life to perform beyond their initial design specification. These case studies are analyzed based on the replacement decision framework with the goal of understanding whether the established influencing factors and motivations behind traditional equipment replacement are also applicable to capital equipment midlife upgrades and if so, to what extent. Our findings indicate that midlife upgrades have the potential to effectively postpone replacement while extending the remaining useful life of capital equipment and thereby facilitate the implementation of the circular economy. Our findings also suggest that midlife upgrades indeed present a value-adding alternative to traditional equipment replacement from the perspectives of both users and manufacturers, especially when provisioned with a servitized PSS business model.

快节奏的技术生命周期在获取新技术创新方面不断增加决策过程的不确定性。在通过设备更换来获取技术的情况下尤其如此，这通常是资本密集且耗时的。以制造服务和产品服务系统（PSS）业务模型为基础的中年升级战略提出了一种有希望的替代传统设备的替代方案。中年升级描述了通过响应用户，环境或市场的某些触发因素而升级组件，子系统等，从而延长了资本设备的剩余使用寿命。但是，迄今为止，中年升级的概念主要是从文学的理论角度进行讨论的。现有技术缺乏关于成功的中年升级的潜力和结果的经验证据。在本文中，我们的目标是通过实证研究资本化设备在服务化过程中作为传统设备更换的增值替代品的中年升级潜力。为此，首先，我们根据设备更换背后的影响因素和动机来制定更换决策框架。然后，我们介绍了五个资本设备的案例研究，这些资本设备在其使用寿命中已经过升级，其性能超出了其最初的设计规格。这些案例研究是基于替换决策框架进行分析的，目的是了解传统设备替换背后的既定影响因素和动机是否也适用于基本设备中年升级，如果适用，在多大程度上适用。我们的发现表明，中年升级有可能有效推迟更换，同时延长资本设备的剩余使用寿命，从而促进循环经济的实施。我们的发现还表明，从用户和制造商的角度来看，中年升级确实是传统设备更换的增值替代品，特别是在提供服务化PSS业务模型时。我们的发现表明，中年升级有可能有效推迟更换，同时延长资本设备的剩余使用寿命，从而促进循环经济的实施。我们的发现还表明，从用户和制造商的角度来看，中年升级确实是传统设备更换的增值替代品，特别是在提供服务化PSS业务模型时。我们的发现表明，中年升级有可能有效推迟更换，同时延长资本设备的剩余使用寿命，从而促进循环经济的实施。我们的发现还表明，从用户和制造商的角度来看，中年升级确实是传统设备更换的增值替代品，特别是在提供服务化PSS业务模型时。