Engineer-to-Order (ETO) describes an order fulfillment process in which a product or component has to be developed, engineered and manufactured from scratch for the first time. This approach differs from the Configure-to-Order (CTO) process. In this case, the product is configured using firmly defined parameters and subsequently manufactured. Product development therefore takes place in advance.
ETO projects are usually highly complex and require close collaboration between customers, engineers, project managers and other stakeholders. As the products are customized, they can be more expensive and require longer development and production times than standardized products. However, ETO enables customers to tailor products to their exact needs, which can be a great advantage in industries with special requirements and customized solutions.
Cideon supports companies in machine building and plant construction with consulting for efficient software handling as well as solutions for end-to-end data integrity and information platforms along the entire value chain. This includes, for example, our interfaces, individual software developments, CAD software as well as PDM and PLM solutions.
Engineer-to-Order (ETO), often referred to as Design-to-Order (DTO), describes the manufacturing of individually designed products where engineering is a central part of the order fulfillment process. Here are some application areas or typical scenarios for Engineer-to-Order:
Use Engineer-to-Order (ETO) to take advantage of the process approach in production to individually develop, engineer and manufacture individual parts for each customer order. Discover the biggest advantages of the method.
The abbreviation ETO is short for "Engineer to Order". This is a manufacturing approach in which products or systems are only designed and manufactured once a specific customer order has been placed.
Engineer-to-Order (ETO), often referred to as Design-to-Order (DTO), refers to a practice in which products are individually developed, engineered and manufactured according to the customer's unique requirements and specifications. It is a customer-oriented approach that aims to provide tailor-made solutions.
Unlike Configure-to-Order (CTO), each product is individually designed and manufactured with ETO after the order is placed. Order processing only begins once the customer order has been received.
ETO is often applied in industries that produce highly specialized products with individual requirements, such as plant construction, machine building, marine, aerospace and high-tech industries.
Engineer-to-Order enables companies to offer customized products, which can increase customer satisfaction. ETO can also enable a distinctive market positioning.
The challenges of ETO often lie in the complexity of individual product development and manufacturing. Planning and coordinating resources and ensuring that deadlines are met can be demanding.
Instead of engineering each product according to individual customer requirements, we recommend Configure-to-Order (CTO). This involves creating a product from various configuration options. With the CTO+ approach, the pre-configured product can then be subsequently adapted to specific customer requirements. This process works smoothly with our Cideon Conify software solution.
Our graphic shows you the differences between Configure-to-Order (CTO) and Engineer-to-Order (ETO) and what CTO+ means.
Software Solution for a Consistent Configuration Process
Cideon Conify consistently links data from the sales and engineering phases to automatically provide PDM-compliant MCAD and ECAD data of the configured product. This is the basis for the subsequent engineering-to-order and the creation of ERP-specific parts lists, work plans, circuit diagrams and production processes according to customer requirements, so that individual products can be created quickly and in accordance with specifications.
Main advantages:
Cideon Conify is the ideal combination of CONnection and CONfiguration!
Discover further topics that will help you to exploit the full potential of your business processes and benefit from our in-depth know-how:
Cideon advises and supports companies in optimizing their product development processes - from conception and engineering to production and service. We stand for:
CIDEON Software & Services GmbH & Co. KG
Lochhamer Schlag 11, 82166 Gräfelfing (Germany)
