Apatit is testing an alternative to Oracle's ERP system based on a Russian product. And this is not "1C"

"Apatite" In (Cherepovets chemical cluster of the PhosAgro"" group), an ERP system based on a Russian product Global ERP designed to replace the "heavy" one was developed and tested. Oracle E-Business Suite R12 About this on the demodna ICC Chemistry "and pharmaceuticals" on March 20 in, where Cherepovets TAdviser visited, said the head of the project "Import Substitution - ERP Systems" "Apatit" Andrei Nisanov. Apatite is the largest To Europe producer of phosphorus-containing fertilizers, phosphoric and sulfuric acids and one of the leaders in terms of Russia production of NPK fertilizers, ammonia and ammonium nitrate.

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Фото: TAdviser

The current version of Oracle ERP has been used by the company for more than 7 years. According to Andrei Nisanov, among the prerequisites for its replacement was, including the impossibility of scaling and expanding the functionality of the existing solution, as well as the termination of technical support from the vendor. Problems after 2022 arose with the server complex on which the ERP is "spinning." Its developer, IBM, no longer supplies servers to Russia, and it is impossible to activate them even if supplied.

Against this background, there is a large business risk for the company - stopping processes and losing data. There is also a legal risk associated with the fact that ERP systems have been added to the list of recommended for consideration for inclusion in the list of significant objects of critical information infrastructure (ZOKII). Taking this into account, the import systems used at the enterprise were distributed according to the lists to be replaced first and second. Actually, the ERP system, as well as the CRM system Oracle Siebel, were included in the list of priority.

The company approached the choice of a new ERP product extremely carefully. About two years have passed from the beginning of the study of replacement options to the start of the project. We reviewed almost all ERP products available on the market, and eventually settled on Global ERP. In terms of functionality, it was closest to the existing system, while there is no need for large organizational changes in the company itself when implementing the system. In addition, there are results of load tests carried out that exceed the needs of Apatit, and there is a possibility of phased implementation of system modules.

At the same time, there are also disadvantages. For example, the vendor does not have enough resources in the event of several large projects at the same time. However, this can be attributed to most other Russian ERP vendors. Another drawback is a small network of partners with experience in large projects in this system, said Andrei Nisanov.

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Фото: TAdviser

Apatit took advantage of the opportunity of modular implementation of the system, starting with a loop of production processes, production cost calculation, as well as sales. Alexander Russkikh, CTO of Business Technologies, a developer of Global ERP, noted that the first stage of implementation implies a significant number of integration interactions with finance, supply, etc., which, after the completion of the first stage of implementation, will still work for Oracle. You get an integrated system with interaction in both directions.

As of March 2025, a prototype system is being tested. One of the most important processes for the company is production cost calculation. On it, during testing, the system showed a very good result. Thus, the director of IT "PhosAgro" Denis Novikov on demodne gave the data that in the new ERP system it was possible to calculate the cost in 30 minutes instead of the previously required 8 hours.

At the stage of choosing a new product, the company considered, including ERP from "1C." Andrei Nisanov clarified to TAdviser that one of the key factors in the choice in favor of Global ERP was the factor that in 1C the functionality of calculating cost for continuous production would have to be developed from scratch, unlike Global ERP. In addition, the company was more satisfied with the conditions for supporting Global ERP.

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Фото: TAdviser

The launch of production and sales modules of the new ERP system into pilot operation is tentatively scheduled for the end of 2025. If the project is successfully implemented, it is planned to gradually transfer the remaining modules to the new system within 3-5 years. PhosAgro's experience in replacing imported ERP is also relevant for other large enterprises with a continuous production cycle, so it is monitored by representatives of the chemical and metallurgical industries.