Sustainable Customer Value Creation in International Sawmill Equipment Industry : A case study of ALMAB in Sweden

Sammanfattning

Aim: This study aims to examine how sustainability is embedded into value propositions, which sustainability dimensions contribute most significantly to customer value, and how manufacturing firms support sustainable value creation through their business models within the international sawmill equipment industry. Methodology: Adopting a qualitative, interpretivist case study approach, the research utilized semi-structured interviews with six (n=6) respondents, including managers from the Swedish sawmill equipment manufacturer Almab and international customer firm (Holmen). The study follows an abductive research approach and applies thematic analysis to interpret the empirical data and adopts a conceptual framework combined with customer value theory to analyze how value is constructed and perceived in practice. Findings & Conclusion: The findings indicate that sustainability is primarily treated as a compliance-driven requirement rather than a primary strategic value driver. Customer value is largely defined by efficiency, productivity, reliability, and lifecycle performance. The study concludes that sustainability does not inherently generate customer value in the sawmill equipment industry unless it is closely aligned with customers’ economic and operational priorities. Contributions & Future Research: This dissertation contributes to the growing literature on sustainable business models and customer value by offering a customer‑centric perspective within a traditionally efficiency‑driven industrial sector. Practically, the findings provide insights for manufacturing firms seeking to strengthen sustainable value propositions and competitive positioning through customer-oriented business models and lifecycle services. While the study is single case study and limited by sample size, future research could expand the scope by incorporating additional companies, regions, and more stakeholder perspectives as well as employ longitudinal approaches to examine how sustainability perceptions evolve over time within industrial B2B markets.