Abstract
Project manufacturing companies usually employ an Engineer-toOrder (ETO) fulfillment strategy to design and fabricate often complex products specifically customized according to customer demands. These orders are handled on a project basis under time and budget constraints involving various stakeholders inside and outside the organization. This complexity causes often productivity losses and waste. Recently ETO companies started to apply emerging technologies from Industry 4.0 to reduce these losses. This paper gathers empirical data using a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with 16 companies with an ETO strategy in construction, machine-plant engineering, and shipbuilding to understand potential differences in the application of Industry 4.0. The results show that there are differences in the level of Industry 4.0 adoption, the types of practices applied, as well as the implementation barriers encountered. This generally depends on the specific circumstances of the company and the industry sector. While construction companies and shipbuilders have a higher level of Industry 4.0 adoption, machine builders lack behind and face various barriers. Future research should focus on exploring best practices and guidelines for adopting Lean and I4.0 practices specifically suited for different ETO environments and how barriers to their adoption can be mitigated.