Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize archetypes of engineer-to-order (ETO) to support companies in determining the appropriate degree of design standardization and automation, and as a result achieve superior performance. Products of ETO manufacturers are classified in a 2×2 matrix using annual units sold and engineering complexity as dimensions.Design/methodology/approach– This research adopted a theory refining approach based on multiple case studies. Seven ETO manufacturers from different industry sectors participated in the study. Data collection was primarily based on a series of in-depth interviews supported by observations and archival sources.Findings– The paper proposes four distinct archetypes of ETO (complex, basic, repeatable, and non-competitive) and empirically validates three of them. The organizational structures and processes most suitable for the different archetypes are described, and standardization and automation strategies are linked to the quadrants of the matrix. The matrix can support practitioners in making strategic choices and provides a framework for benchmarking their ETO products and processes.Originality/value– Existing conceptualizations of ETO consider the company as the primary object of investigation, rather than the product or product family. However, companies often have different product families demanding different strategies. Also, there is little or no focus on the engineering perspective. The authors move the engineering perspective to the center of investigation and identify a set of standardization and automation strategies for different types of ETO products.

Short delivery times are considered a competitive advantage in the engineer-to-order (ETO) sector. Design-related tasks contribute to a substantial amount of delivery times and costs since ETO products have to be either fully developed or adapted to customer specifications within tendering or order fulfillment. Approaches aiming at a computerised automation of tasks related to the design process, often termed design automation or knowledge-based engineering, are generally regarded as an effective means to achieve lead time and cost reductions while maintaining, or even improving product quality. In this study we propose a maturity model as a framework for analyzing and improving such activities in ETO companies. We contribute to the literature in being the first to investigate design automation in the ETO sector from a maturity perspective. Beyond that, we extend the extant literature on design automation, which is of a highly technical nature, by providing a framework considering organizational and managerial aspects. The findings indicate that five different levels of maturity can be achieved across the dimensions strategies, processes, systems, and people. Empirical cases give insight into these different levels. Our investigation draws from extant literature and a comparative case study involving four companies over two years.

Als engineer-to-order (ETO) werden Produkte bezeichnet, die fur einen konkreten Kundenauftrag entwickelt oder angepasst werden. Wahrend die fur diese Produkte erforderlichen Entwicklungs- und Konstruktionstatigkeiten in der Vergangenheit meist zentral durchgefuhrt wurden, erfordert die zunehmende Globalisierung die Zusammenarbeit weltweit verteilter Standorte. In einer Studie der ETH Zurich gemeinsam mit acht Unternehmen aus dem Maschinen- und Anlagenbau wurden Best Practices und Konfigurationen fur das globale Engineering von ETO-Produkten erhoben.

Kurzfassung Ein verschärfter Wettbewerb durch Konkurrenz aus Niedriglohnländern und der damit einhergehende Kostendruck tragen dazu bei, dass eine Standardisierung und Automatisierung von Produktentwicklungs- und Konstruktionstätigkeiten immer weiter voranschreitet. Für Produkte, die auftragsspezifische Konstruktionen erfordern, wird eine weitreichende Standardisierung und Automatisierung allerdings häufig noch als nicht realisierbar wahrgenommen. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Entscheidungsmodell vorgestellt, welches Anbieter kundenindividueller Produkte unterstützt den passenden Grad an Standardisierung und Automatisierung zu ermitteln.

This paper explores how the organizational and technological requirements of globally distributed engineering processes differ for make-to- order (MTO) and engineer-to-order (ETO) production and highlights potential research themes which might contribute to a better understanding of this field. The preliminary results presented in this paper are based on a literature review and an on-going exploratory case study with manufacturers from the mechanical engineering sector, responsible for the engineering of both MTO and ETO products in a global setting. We propose a preliminary framework to identify and structure the different requirements ETO and MTO products pose for globally distributed engineering processes. We hope to stimulate further research through emphasizing the main research gaps within this field.

Angesichts der zunehmenden Globalisierung der Markte erfordern Produktentwicklung und Engineering immer haufiger die Zusammenarbeit zwischen weltweit verteilten Standorten. Zur Bewaltigung der Herausforderungen globaler Engineering-Prozesse wird das erforderliche Wissen regelmasig in IT-Anwendungen zentral gespeichert und lokal verwendet. Als engineered-to-order werden Produkte bezeichnet, die nach Kundenauftrag konstruiert und gefertigt werden. Fur diese Art von Produkten reicht das in Systemen hinterlegte Wissen haufig nicht aus. In diesem Beitrag werden im Rahmen einer Case Study gemeinsam mit einem global fuhrenden Hersteller von Aufzugen erste Losungsansatze entwickelt, wie wissensbasierte Arbeit unter Berucksichtigung der an verschiedenen Standorten unterschiedlich ausgepragten Kompetenzen global effizient ausgefuhrt werden kann.

A methodological application of mass customization principles in engineer-to-order (ETO) processes is expected to lead to shorter lead times, increased quality as well as cost reductions. Product and process configurators, commonly used in mass customization processes, have to be adjusted according to ETO product and process requirements for their successful application in an ETO environment. In this paper the organizational requirements for a successful adaption of configurators to ETO processes are identified and structured. A Business Process Matrix capable of categorizing the implications of using product and process configurators in an ETO environment is developed.

Global environmental challenges lead to a rising importance of resource efficiency in industry. The strong environmental impact of manufacturing processes necessitates a significant reduction of the amount of employed resources. Therefore, the potential of production planning and control (PPC) systems is analyzed from a top-down and bottom-up perspective in terms of increasing the energy efficiency of manufacturing processes. A conceptual approach is developed to embed energy efficiency in a PPC-logic in order to link managerial targets with machine tools located on the shop-floor.