Industrial buying behavior in the purchasing of maintenance, repair, and operation services: case studies from the Scandinavian pulp and paper industry

Abstract: The aim with this thesis is to investigate the industrial buying behavior
in Scandinavian pulp and paper mills. The focus in this industry, as well
as in other asset-intensive industries, has shifted from buying and selling
large machine installations to a more service-oriented perspective. An
important part of industrial services is MRO services, and it is therefore
an interesting area to investigate. The case study in this thesis has been
conducted at five Swedish pulp and paper mills, considered to be
representative for Metso Paper’s customers in Scandinavia. Data was
collected through personal interviews with people at three different levels
within each mill. The industrial buying behavior of Scandinavian pulp and
paper mills when purchasing MRO services essentially corresponds to the
theories about this area. The buying process follows the steps in the buy-
phase model with only minor modifications. All roles in the buying center,
except the gatekeeper, were detected and the most influential members were
identified. The most important factor affecting the industrial buying
behavior was found to be the relationships between the buyer and the
seller. The purchase of MRO services differ from other types of industrial
services, for instance audit services. No specific theories regarding MRO
services have been found. General theories regarding industrial services
are not applicable to MRO services, and therefore this is an area in which
further research should be conducted.