Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the robustness of the emerging body of knowledge about collaborative supply chains in the context of Engineered-to-Order (ETO) manufacturing engineering project systems. Design/methodology/approach - This paper uses an evolutionary classification technique to build an evolutionary history for an industry case study: the French ETO machine design industry. Findings - The evolutionary history shows that collaborative forms of governance have been used in this industry after an era of failed transactional market-based governance. The industry, however, has abandoned collaborative forms of governance to return to its historical roots towards more vertical integration. Research limitations/implications - Findings are only relevant in the context of the investigated industry. Practical implications - In certain industrial settings managers should consider the promise of collaboration and trust with cautious. Originality/value - The data set supports Williamson's (1993) rejection of trust as a mode of governance and calls for a more careful delineation of the conditions of recourse to trust in managerial situations.