INEOS Group turned Jim Ratcliffe's 2017 vision into reality, creating the uncompromising Grenadier 4x4 with ECC's 100 years old transportation expertise. Together, we mastered complex automotive supply chains to achieve flexible operations. 

The vision of INEOS Group 

Jim Ratcliffe, chariman of INEOS, had a vision. He wanted to create a robust off-road vehicle — an uncompromising 4x4 Grenadier. This dream led to the founding of INEOS Automotive. Turning this vision into reality required more than just ambition; it needed a team and partners who could navigate the complex world of automotive supply chains.

The beginning of a partnership 

Our common journey began in June 2021 during the prototype testing and interior model reveal stages. INEOS was searching for experienced and creative control tower partners. ECC's Control Tower, grounded on over 100 years of transportation experience, provided the expertise, flexibility, and all-around support Ineos needed.   

Building a successful supply chain 

Our involvement went beyond transportation. We supported a network design to implement fixed routes, lead times, routings, and transportation modes. We also co-designed processes for customs, provided consultancy, established execution of various modes of transport (road, ocean, air), and created data dashboards to ensure smooth operations and cost control. 

‘’We value the expertise of ECC and its control tower. In my eyes, they do a really good job. (...) The strong advantage of ECC's Control Tower is the package of the various elements which we need for operational service and transportation." Björn Ibach

Dedicated team

ECC established a planning and logistics engineering team in the INEOS office in Porto to facilitate communication and integration. Our working operations ran from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., with Saturday coverage, ensuring that the dynamic supply chain needs were met and supervised on time.  

‘’It was unique that ECC was willing to set up operations so closely to our teams.’’ - Björn Ibach

Customized systems 

We customized our systems to work seamlessly with INEOS, such as Power BI dashboards and the Control Tower portal. This provided digital flexibility and insight into costs, transparency, visibility, and a baseline for easy communication.  

’We find solutions to possible problems via daily communication. That's the key to this cooperation.'' - Fredrik Karlsson

Operational flexibility 

We prioritise flexibility and adaptability, which are crucial for managing INEOS's fluctuating production and supply chain needs. 

‘’Flexibility and adaptability were always the key to our cooperation. Also, the focus on cost awareness and cost improvement was really helpful."  - Fredrik Karlsson

ECC also took over processes such as carrier billing, claim processing, and reporting, showing the versatility of the services. 

 "We have outsourced all of our carrier billing processes to ECC, which is a huge workload."  - Björn Ibach

Achieving success and looking ahead 

With our support, INEOS Automotive produced its first Grenadier (Series Production) within three years. Currently, ECC’s Control Tower remains the leading company responsible for all inbound supply chain operations to Production Plant Hambach. The next step is to focus on CO2 reduction and more.

"ECC provides pragmatic solutions. So, it's not a very complicated process with ECC to find solutions that work for both of us. We don't have the time to spend days and weeks solving our issues, and we need fast solutions and out-of-the-box thinking. ECC provides just that.’’  - Björn Ibach