Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Phosagro – Phosagro – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Moscow. January 29, 2026. The digital resource "Global CIO," which unites a professional community of experts and IT executives from Russian companies, announced the results of its annual "Project of the Year" competition, recognizing the best domestic developments in information technology.
The winner in the "Best Industry Solution. Chemicals and Petrochemicals" category was a joint project between PhosAgro and Zifra Group to develop and implement a Russian industry-specific automated production management system (APMS). The award was given for the successful import substitution of a critical production system, implemented without interrupting existing processes and maintaining familiar user experiences.
As part of the project, PhosAgro completely abandoned its foreign PI System and transitioned to an automated production management system based on ZIIoT platform from Zifra. The system united dozens of disparate automated process control systems, enabled the collection and analysis of over 100,000 production indicators in real time, created a unified digital object model, and became the basis for management and process analytics.
"We've also begun using ZIIoT as a platform for embedding production AI solutions. We've already integrated Sber's advanced GigaChat MAX LLM model into our automated production system, which is deployed in our IT environment. This has significantly reduced the time it takes operators to perform daily process operations and increased operational efficiency. Ultimately, using artificial intelligence in a production system allows us to increase finished product output, making this a priority area for PhosAgro's development. The solution has already proven its relevance and effectiveness, so we intend to complete the rollout of ZIIoT at the Volkhov and Balakovo production sites this year," said Denis Novikov, CEO of Apatit JSC (PhosAgro Group).
According to him, AI agents integrated into the system's operations help minimize emergency situations and, if they arise, promptly suggest the most effective courses of action. Together, this creates a smart assistant and a unified intelligent environment that integrates corporate knowledge, documentation, and up-to-date production indicators.
The project's key value lies in its industry-wide impact. The solution was developed and implemented within the framework of the Russian Government's import substitution program, taking into account the requirements of companies active in the Chemistry and Pharmaceuticals ICC, making it scalable and replicable for other chemical production facilities.
"We're truly proud of this project. We managed to seamlessly replace a critical foreign system, maintain familiar production processes, and lay a solid foundation for digital development for years to come. Importantly, the platform has already become the foundation for future steps—it's being used to launch AI projects that work with production data and internal regulations, helping technologists and operators make decisions faster and more accurately. For us, this is an indicator of the right direction: we're not creating a "closed" solution for a single task, but a vibrant industrial platform that can be developed, supplemented with new technologies, and scaled to meet the real needs of businesses. These are precisely the kind of industrial systems that are needed today," noted Mikhail Aronson, CEO of Zifra Group, during the awards ceremony.
Development of the automated control system began in late 2022 with a grant from the Skolkovo Foundation. Over the course of two years, PhosAgro and Zyfra Group specialists implemented the system at the Cherepovets complex of JSC Apatit, gradually expanding its functionality and making necessary adjustments. As a result, in early 2025, the automated control system was put into commercial operation in Cherepovets and received positive feedback from production personnel—the system's users.
The next important step in the project's development was its rollout. At the CIPR-2025 conference, PhosAgro signed an agreement with the developer to scale the automated process control system to the Volkhov and Balakovo production complexes.
It is planned that this work will be completed and the system will be accepted for industrial operation as early as August of this year.
PhosAgro's project to implement the eXpress corporate communications platform also received an award in the "Best Communications Platform in the Industrial Sector" category. The solution's key advantage lies in its autonomy and independence. The servers that process information flows and store data are located within the company, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access by third parties. When working with external users, the platform offers enhanced encryption, significantly increasing the security and confidentiality of communications.
The corporate messenger offers extensive functionality. This modern app for smartphones and PCs, powered by SuperApp technology, combines several corporate services in one place: email, calendar, and video conference scheduling.
"The software architecture of Russian systems is completely free of imported components, ensuring their independence from imports and compliance with our high security requirements. Our domestically developed automated control system (ACS), as well as our own eXpress corporate communications platform, complemented by artificial intelligence services, offer us extensive opportunities for digitalization and automation of production. Today, domestic developers offer a wide range of digital solutions that are equal to, and in many ways even superior to, their imported counterparts. A flexible approach and the customization of software products to customer needs allow us to source and implement the best solutions on the market. And the fact that our projects won two nominations at the Global CIO competition is a clear expert confirmation that we have chosen the right path," says Igor Kurashov, Information Technology Director at Apatit JSC.
The "Project of the Year" competition is in its fourteenth year and is one of the key events in the IT industry. Each year, it brings together over 450 IT leaders and serves as a platform for sharing innovative solutions in automation and digitalization.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
