Indorama’s IBP Journey Is Driving Volume to Value at Global Scale

As Chief Digital Officer at Indorama, Eric Delattre is tasked with something no less ambitious than guiding a global chemical manufacturing leader into its next era. That means rethinking the business not only as a set of functions or processes, but as a fully integrated digital ecosystem, one where every decision is grounded in data, every scenario is measurable, and every person has the tools they need to drive performance.

At the heart of this transformation is Integrated Business Planning (IBP), and at the center of IBP is o9.

A platform to unify, not just optimize

Indorama is a world-class sustainable chemical company with operations in 120 plants in more than 30 countries. Its products (including PET, polyester fibers, and specialty chemicals) touch almost every aspect of daily life, from packaging and hygiene to personal care and industrial applications.

Years of growth through acquisition had left Indorama with a fragmented systems landscape. The company was ready to enter its “IVL 2.0” phase: transforming from a group of loosely connected businesses into a unified, data-driven enterprise. This meant more than consolidating tools; it required a new operating model. IBP was chosen as the foundation for that model.

“We are moving from siloed decision-making into a unified platform,” Delattre explains. “It’s about connecting daily operations with strategic vision, so we can measure the impact of our decisions across supply, demand, finance, and sustainability.”

Data readiness is a journey, not a prerequisite

One of the biggest lessons learned early in the program was that data perfection can’t be a prerequisite for transformation. Indorama’s strategy was to make progress on three fronts simultaneously: deploy SAP globally, invest in a scalable data platform to unify sources across entities, and capture tribal knowledge from planners and domain experts.

Recognizing that much of the valuable input for IBP lives outside existing systems, the company put significant emphasis on change management. “Some of the most critical data is still in people’s heads,” says Delattre. “That knowledge needs to be captured and integrated, or we’ll miss key insights that drive decisions.”

Making IBP a business transformation, not a supply chain project

From the outset, the IBP program was positioned not as a supply chain upgrade, but as a business-led transformation. All functions (sales, operations, finance) were involved from day one. “It’s important to start with the end in mind,” Delattre notes. “Our goal is to shift from volume to value, so we need scenario planning that considers both revenue and margin, not just throughput.”

This commitment is reflected in the leadership structure. Indorama’s founder and CEO, Aloke Lohia, is the program’s primary sponsor, and senior executives across the organization have been mobilized to participate actively in design, governance, and rollout.

Scaling with speed and discipline

The program is being rolled out in phases, beginning with businesses that will define the global template. This approach allows for the early capture of common standards while enabling rapid iterations based on hands-on feedback. “We’ve prioritized fast value realization,” Delattre says. “You can’t wait 24 months to go live and expect users to be engaged.”

Frequent feedback loops, real-world use cases, and regular value drops are helping the team sustain momentum. At the same time, the company is measuring user satisfaction and adoption continuously to ensure that outcomes match expectations.

Building the organizational muscle for change

IBP is reshaping not just how Indorama plans, but how it works. Delattre outlines a three-part strategy to build the necessary capabilities: invest in people through upskilling and training, centralize activities through centers of excellence to free up business focus, and maintain robust change management to guide the transition.

“This is not just automation for automation’s sake,” he notes. “We want our talent focused on future opportunities, not writing reports about the past.” That mindset shift, from reacting to analyzing, from reporting to strategizing, is at the core of the company’s long-term vision.

Embedding sustainability into scenario planning

Sustainability is another driver for IBP at Indorama. By embedding ESG metrics directly into the o9 digital twin, the company can evaluate the environmental impact of decisions alongside financial and operational metrics. That capability will also strengthen collaboration with customers, who are increasingly seeking end-to-end transparency across the supply chain.

“We want to be able to model carbon impacts, run sustainable sourcing scenarios, and partner with our customers to reduce the footprint of the final product,” Delattre says. “That requires integrated data and a planning platform that supports both financial and environmental performance.”

A digital operating model that supports agility and resilience

For Indorama, the ultimate goal is to create a company that can anticipate change, respond quickly, and make decisions that balance service, cost, and capital. IBP is central to that vision. With o9, the company now has the ability to run global and regional scenarios that simulate the full financial and operational impact of different choices.

“It’s not about looking in the rear-view mirror anymore,” Delattre says. “It’s about seeing what’s ahead and being ready to act.”

To get there, Indorama knows the work isn’t finished when the tool is live. Success will be measured by user satisfaction and sustained adoption.

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