PTENES
Talk to a specialist

Engineering document management for fertilizer plants

Agriculture runs on fertilizer. Your plant runs on the right document.

Drawings, data sheets, NR-13 vessel records and procedures on the current revision, in one environment, with every approval on record. GreenDocs, implemented by 29docs, puts the engineering of fertilizer plants under control: ammonia and urea, phosphates, potash and NPK blending units.

Book an assessment Watch the film · 50 s

Fertilizer experience

The film · 50 s

Where are your plant’s engineering documents?

Drawings, data sheets, the record of every pressure vessel, and how 29docs organized the engineering of three Petrobras fertilizer plants.

Video in Portuguese (Brazil) with Portuguese captions. English transcript below.
Video transcript (English translation)
  1. 0:00 Agro is tech, agro is pop. And agro depends on fertilizer. [The words on screen and, beside them, a photo of a Petrobras urea plant (FAFEN-SE), in gray.]
  2. 0:05 With the plants in full operation, where are the engineering documents? [The photo turns to color; three empty places appear above it.]
  3. 0:10 In the documents: drawings, data sheets, the record of every pressure vessel. [Each document lands in its place, linked to the equipment it belongs to in the photo.]
  4. 0:15 Many data sources, scattered documents, no single point of search or standardized storage. [The links break, the documents scatter and the places are left empty.]
  5. 0:21 And under NR-13, a lost vessel record has to be reconstituted. [NR-13, item 13.5.1.6. The record disappears; a line starts redrawing it.]
  6. 0:26 At Petrobras, three plants came back into operation. [Map of Brazil with the three plants: FAFEN-SE, FAFEN-BA and ANSA.]
  7. 0:29 29docs organized, standardized and made available the engineering of the three plants, in an environment that is 100% validated. [Each plant’s engineering is organized, standardized and goes into one panel: “ANSA, FAFEN-BA e FAFEN-SE · Accruent Meridian · Engenharia num só ambiente · Homologados 100%” (engineering in one environment, 100% validated).]
  8. 0:38 Another plant, another system: the path is the same. [The panel changes to “Your plant” and cycles through systems: Bentley ProjectWise, W3K GreenDocs, Hexagon SDx, “Your system”.]
  9. 0:41 Agro is tech, agro is pop, it’s fertilizer, it’s engineering, it’s documents, it’s 29docs. [The shapes converge into the 29docs symbol. Talk to us · 29docs.com]

Technical documentation challenges in fertilizer plants

The process is continuous. The information isn’t.

Six situations every fertilizer plant knows, and how GreenDocs, implemented by 29docs, answers each one.

Documentation for planned turnarounds

“The turnaround is coming. Who can guarantee the contractor is holding the current drawing?”

What’s at stake

During a turnaround, in-house and contractor crews work at the same time from drawings, data sheets and procedures. An old revision in the field means rework, delay or risk. And whatever changed during the turnaround has to make it back into the archive as built.

In GreenDocs

  • Shutdown and maintenance management, with up-to-date data to follow progress.
  • The plant’s master repository: everyone authorized works on the same current revision.
  • Access by user and permissions, for in-house and contractor teams.

With 29docs

  • We organize and standardize the archive before the turnaround and set how the as-built documents come back into the environment.

NR-13 vessel records and the NR-20 installation record

“The inspector asked for the vessel’s record. Is it in the archive, on the server or with the manufacturer?”

What’s at stake

Brazil’s NR-13 requires every pressure vessel to have up-to-date documentation on site (the vessel record, safety log, alteration or repair design, inspection reports and safety-device certificates), available to the people who operate, maintain and inspect it. A lost record must be reconstituted under the technical responsibility of the manufacturer or a legally qualified professional (PLH). In installations covered by NR-20, it also requires an installation record (Prontuário da Instalação), organized, kept and updated by the employer.

In GreenDocs

  • Automatic versioning and revision history for every document.
  • Access by user and permissions for operations, maintenance and inspection.
  • Complete audit trail: every action on a document is recorded.

With 29docs

  • We organize the archive by equipment and show what is missing before the next inspection.

Reference: NR-13, items 13.3.10, 13.5.1.5 and 13.5.1.6 · NR-20, item 20.6.1

Plant changes (MOC) and up-to-date P&IDs

“The line changed in the field. The P&ID still shows the old one.”

What’s at stake

Every modification has to reach the drawings, data sheets and procedures, with formal approval. NR-13 requires an up-to-date engineering flow diagram for piping, identifying each line; in NR-20 class I, II and III installations, operating procedures must be revised after modifications and management-of-change recommendations. Otherwise the next crew works on a plant that no longer exists.

In GreenDocs

  • Management of change (MOC) inside the platform.
  • Configurable approval workflows with digital signatures.
  • Automatic comparison of 2D drawing revisions.

With 29docs

  • We design the review and approval workflow with your team, from change request to updated document.

Reference: NR-13, item 13.6.1.4 · NR-20, item 20.9.2

Vendor and EPC contractor documents

“The vendor documents came by email. Which revision was approved? Who commented?”

What’s at stake

Expansions, new equipment and projects bring vendor and EPC documents, with comments and revisions that travel by email. Without a single record, what was approved gets lost in someone’s inbox.

In GreenDocs

  • Secure, traceable document exchange with vendors and EPC contractors.
  • Comments and redlines right on the file, with no external software.
  • Configurable approval workflows with digital signatures.

With 29docs

  • We structure the document list and the workflow for receiving, reviewing and approving vendor documents.

Audits and inspections (MAPA, environmental agencies, Army)

“The auditor asked for evidence. Pulling it together took days.”

What’s at stake

Labor inspectors, the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA), environmental agencies, the Army (where controlled products are handled), certification bodies, insurers and customers all ask for records and evidence, each in its own way. They include the SIPEAGRO registration with MAPA, safety data sheets (SDS, formerly FISPQ), environmental licenses and ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certificates. Often you have to prove who approved what, when and on which revision. NR-13 accepts documents kept in computerized systems with information security, as long as authenticity, integrity, availability, traceability and non-repudiation are ensured.

In GreenDocs

  • Complete audit trail: who did what, and when.
  • Digital signatures in approval workflows.
  • “Google-style” search with built-in OCR to find the evidence.

With 29docs

  • We structure audit trails, access control and evidence for inspections and certifications.

Reference: NR-13, item 13.3.9

Multiple sites in one environment

“Every site files its own way. Nobody sees the whole picture.”

What’s at stake

Groups with several plants, blending units and acquired sites live with archives spread across different systems, folders and naming conventions. Comparing, auditing or taking what works from one site to another becomes a project of its own.

In GreenDocs

  • Cloud master repository, accessible online from any site.
  • Access by user and permissions.
  • Integration with maintenance systems such as SAP PM and IBM Maximo.

With 29docs

  • We bring the archives of several sites together and standardize them in one environment, as we did, on Accruent Meridian, for three Petrobras plants.

Why organize your plant’s engineering now

Brazil has a plan and a law to produce more fertilizer. Engineering has to keep up.

With the National Fertilizer Plan and Profert, domestic production has become a priority. Every plant that restarts, expands or modernizes carries years of engineering that has to be organized for operations, maintenance and inspection.

What GreenDocs does in a fertilizer plant

GreenDocs: the master repository for your plant’s engineering.

GreenDocs is cloud-based engineering document management software developed in Brazil by W3K, a company founded in 2011 and active in segments such as fertilizers, chemicals, petrochemicals, oil and gas, steel and mining. 29docs is a W3K Value Added partner and implements GreenDocs from assessment to go-live and assisted operation.

From many places to one controlled environment.
Book a demo Learn about GreenDocs, by W3K

How to implement document management in 4 steps

From a scattered archive to controlled access.

Four steps, with people who have already organized the engineering of fertilizer plants. It is the same method 29docs uses in every engineering document management project.

  1. Assess

    It starts with a free 30-minute assessment. In the project, we survey systems, vaults, network folders and paper: what exists, where it is and what is missing.

  2. Organize

    We bring the archives into one environment, migrating or restoring what is scattered today, with the migration planned so operations are not interrupted.

  3. Standardize

    We structure metadata, naming and approval workflows so every document can be found by the equipment it belongs to.

  4. Make available

    We grant role-based access, train the teams and go live with assisted operation.

After go-live, we stay with you: ongoing support and continuous improvement of the environment.

Petrobras case: ANSA, FAFEN-BA and FAFEN-SE

The engineering of three fertilizer plants, in one environment.

In two document management projects, 29docs organized, standardized and made available, in one environment that is 100% validated, the engineering of three Petrobras fertilizer plants: FAFEN-SE (Laranjeiras, Sergipe), FAFEN-BA (Camaçari, Bahia) and ANSA, Araucária Nitrogenados (Araucária, Paraná). The FAFEN-BA and FAFEN-SE vaults were restored into ANSA’s environment, with access for Petrobras teams, and the metadata and documents from both vaults were extracted and delivered to Petrobras.

In these projects, the platform was Accruent Meridian. The method is the same on GreenDocs or on the system your plant already uses.

1
environment for the three plants
The engineering of ANSA, FAFEN-BA and FAFEN-SE in one place, with access for Petrobras teams.
100%
validated
The environment that holds the engineering of the three plants.
3
units served
ANSA, FAFEN-BA and FAFEN-SE, across two document management projects.

Already on Meridian, ProjectWise or another EDMS?

Already have a system? We start there.

We support, upgrade and migrate environments on the leading platforms. If GreenDocs makes more sense for your plant, we migrate the archive with its metadata and revisions, and agree in the assessment how much history comes along. If it doesn’t, we’ll tell you that too.

  • Accruent Meridian
  • Bentley ProjectWise
  • Hexagon SDx
  • AVEVA AIM
  • Oracle Aconex
  • Siemens Teamcenter
  • W3K GreenDocs

Trademarks belong to their respective owners.

FAQ: engineering document management in the fertilizer industry

Before we talk

What is the GreenDocs system and who develops it?

GreenDocs is cloud-based engineering document management software developed in Brazil by W3K, a company founded in 2011. It brings together a repository with versioning and revision history, approval workflows with digital signatures, an audit trail, access control by user and permissions, a CAD viewer, and management of change and shutdowns. 29docs is a W3K Value Added partner and handles implementation, from assessment to assisted operation.

What is the difference between EDMS, ECM and GED?

An EDMS (electronic document management system) stores, versions and finds documents. ECM (enterprise content management) is broader and adds workflows and integrations. In engineering, EDMS usually means a system built for technical documents, with revision control, CAD drawings and document exchange with vendors. GED is the Brazilian name for electronic document management. GreenDocs covers these functions in one platform.

Does GreenDocs meet NR-13?

NR-13 does not require any particular software. It requires each piece of equipment’s documentation to exist, be up to date and remain available to the people who operate, maintain and inspect it (items 13.3.10 and, for pressure vessels, 13.5.1.5), and it allows that documentation to be kept in computerized systems with information security, as long as authenticity, integrity, availability, traceability and non-repudiation are ensured (item 13.3.9). GreenDocs gives that documentation a controlled environment: current revision, permission-based access, digital signatures and an audit trail. Whether the item 13.3.9 requirements are met also depends on how the environment is configured and on the type of signature used; we cover this in the assessment. Technical responsibility for the content stays with the company and the legally qualified professional (PLH).

Does organized documentation help with SPIE certification?

It helps meet the document control requirements. To certify an in-house equipment inspection service (SPIE), Annex II of NR-13 asks, among other things, for the means to keep an up-to-date technical archive and to distribute information when required. Inmetro Ordinance No. 62/2026, published on 1 April 2026, sets out the SPIE normative instruction in its Annex I. It requires a written procedure to control documents and records, covering issue, cancellation, distribution, availability and revision (item 8.1), and quality records that are indelible, sufficiently clear and identified, with traceability (item 8.3). With a certified SPIE, the intervals between inspections can be extended (NR-13 items 13.4.4.5 and 13.5.4.5). Certification is carried out by a body accredited by Inmetro.

My plant already uses another system. Do we have to switch?

Not necessarily. We are platform-agnostic and work with Accruent Meridian, Bentley ProjectWise, Hexagon SDx, AVEVA AIM, Oracle Aconex, Siemens Teamcenter and other platforms. If moving to GreenDocs makes sense, we migrate; if it doesn’t, we evolve what you already have.

Can the archives of several sites be brought into one environment?

Yes. At Petrobras, on Accruent Meridian, we brought the engineering of ANSA, FAFEN-BA and FAFEN-SE into one environment: we restored the FAFEN-BA and FAFEN-SE vaults into ANSA’s environment, with access for the teams, and extracted the metadata and documents from both vaults.

What if a pressure vessel’s record is missing?

Brazil’s NR-13 (item 13.5.1.6) requires the employer to reconstitute a missing or lost vessel record, under the technical responsibility of the manufacturer or a legally qualified professional. Before reconstituting, you need to know what exists: we survey and organize what is in your archives and keep every vessel record controlled and easy to find.

Does it work for blending units and smaller sites?

Yes. The method is the same, and the scope follows the size of the archive and the number of sites, which the assessment surveys. The controls are the same as in a large plant: current revision, recorded approval and permission-based access.

How long does it take to get started?

It depends on the size and condition of the archive and on how many sites are included. We start with the free assessment; then the proposal sets out scope and schedule.

Does the extracted data stay with my company?

At Petrobras, yes: the metadata and documents extracted from both vaults were delivered to the company. In each project, the data format and handover are set in the scope.

Where do we start?

With a free assessment: a 30-minute conversation, no pitch, to understand your systems and archives. Then comes a proposal with scope and schedule.

Reviewed by Maurício Portal, partner at 29docs, on .

Book a free 30-minute assessment

Your next inspection starts with the right document.

A free 30-minute conversation, no pitch. We learn how your plant manages its documents and, if it makes sense, show you GreenDocs in action.

WhatsApp · +55 51 98144-4746
mauricio@29docs.com