Managing uncertainty in purchasing in engineer-to-order manufacturing

Engineer-to-order (ETO) supply chains are characterized by high uncertainty, as they are complex and involving changing customer demands. A way of coping with uncertainty, is to introduce supply chain flexibility. With this insight, we present literature discussing supply chain flexibility, and relate them to supplier selection and relationship development. Based on case studies from the maritime industry in Northwest Norway, we explore how different forms of supply chain flexibility may solve the uncertainty challenges in ETO supply chains. Keywords: Engineer-to-order, purchasing, uncertainty