Phú Mỹ Fertilizer Plant: 22 Years of Solid Foundation, Accelerating Toward Smart Manufacturing

(PetroTimes) — Over 22 years of establishment and development (April 21, 2004 – April 21, 2026), the Phú Mỹ Fertilizer Plant — the "beating heart" of PetroVietnam Fertilizer and Chemicals Corporation (PVFCCo – Phú Mỹ), a member unit of Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) — has firmly established itself as a key national project contributing to food security, while steadily transforming into a data-driven smart manufacturing center and a critical pillar in the corporation's journey toward becoming an intelligent enterprise.

Defining the Smart Manufacturing Roadmap: Data as the Foundation

In a manufacturing landscape facing mounting pressures on cost, environmental compliance, and governance standards, PVFCCo – Phú Mỹ has identified science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation as its strategic breakthroughs. Against this backdrop, the Phú Mỹ Fertilizer Plant has developed its smart manufacturing roadmap in accordance with the SIRI (Smart Industry Readiness Index) framework — a reference model that translates transformation objectives into concrete, plant-level action.

SIRI serves as the guiding compass for digital transformation, providing a comprehensive assessment of the plant's readiness across three core pillars: Process – Technology – Organization, while charting the development path from automation to autonomy.

Based on this assessment, the Phú Mỹ Fertilizer Plant has achieved a SIRI score of 2.3, with most criteria falling within the global mid-range and several indicators at or above the chemical industry average. This reflects a solid digital maturity foundation — a favorable springboard for accelerated progress in the next phase.

The plant's smart manufacturing roadmap unfolds across three clearly defined stages: establishing data infrastructure and IT/OT system connectivity; integrating and automating processes; and ultimately achieving operations optimization driven by big data analytics and artificial intelligence. The roadmap is implemented in a phased, focused, and pragmatic manner — ensuring transformation without disrupting production continuity.

Throughout this entire roadmap, data is designated as the core asset. The Data Lakehouse system is driving a shift from fragmented to unified data architecture, enabling real-time analytics, reporting, and decision-making — while laying the groundwork for AI/ML applications in plant management and operations.

Deploying Digital Technologies, Transforming Operational Methods

In parallel with the overarching roadmap, a series of key technology solutions have been deployed at the Phú Mỹ Fertilizer Plant — closely aligned with SIRI's framework and directly addressing core operational challenges.

Most notably, the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) enables seamless data connectivity from the shop floor to management levels, supporting real-time monitoring, quality control, and operational performance optimization. Complementing this, initiatives such as Machine Health, Risk-Based Inspection (RBI), and 360 Factory enhance equipment reliability, optimize maintenance planning, and minimize production risks.

A particularly significant leap forward is the Digital Twin project on a 360° imagery platform, which marks a new milestone in field digitization. All major production units — including ammonia, urea, and NPK workshops, along with auxiliary areas — have been or are being digitized, forming a vivid and intuitive digital replica of the plant. On this platform, real-time operational data, maintenance history, and technical documentation are integrated in a synchronized manner, creating a visual data center for management and operations.

Beyond operational efficiency, the Digital Twin opens up practical use cases including remote maintenance, safety training, incident response support, and field survey operations — representing a meaningful transition from digitization to real-time data exploitation and visualization.

Alongside technology, digital transformation is also reshaping governance. The plant is transitioning toward data-driven management, enhancing transparency and decision-making quality. Developing digital capabilities within the workforce is equally prioritized, building the foundation for a modern and synchronized operational culture.

From 22 Years of Foundation to the Smart Factory Model

The 22-year milestone is both a moment to reflect on a journey of resilient operations and an opportunity to affirm a clear strategic shift: from a modern production facility to a data-driven intelligent operation.

In this journey, the Phú Mỹ Fertilizer Plant continues to serve as the centerpiece of PVFCCo – Phú Mỹ's digital transformation strategy. The target by 2030 is to reach a higher level of digital maturity — advancing toward an autonomous operational model where data and artificial intelligence are deeply embedded in core activities.

What distinguishes this approach is a deliberate focus not on chasing technology for its own sake, but on delivering tangible operational value. Each initiative is selected based on specific problem-solving needs, maximizing existing infrastructure, and deployed along a prioritized roadmap that ensures investment efficiency and production stability.

In the long run, the SIRI-aligned roadmap will drive a fundamental shift — from a reactive operational model to one that is predictive and proactively optimized — where data becomes the center of every decision.

After 22 years of growth, the Phú Mỹ Fertilizer Plant stands as PVFCCo – Phú Mỹ's primary production backbone, and is progressively becoming the nucleus realizing the vision of Phú Mỹ Intelligent. This journey is not simply a technology story — it is a process of building internal strength, renewing mindsets, and shaping a modern, intelligent, and sustainable factory model for the future.

Vũ Khôi