“Energy Costs Were Eating 25% of Our Budget”—How Longguang Helped a Vietnam Client Break Free from Wet Granulation
For An Phu Fertilizer Company in Vietnam, one number kept management awake at night: energy costs accounted for 25% of total production costs. As a mid-sized producer of high-concentration compound fertilizers, they knew that without addressing this issue, profit margins would continue to shrink. Their solution? Longguang’s compaction fertilizer production line.
When Wet Granulation Became a “Cost Black Hole”
Founded in 2018 in Dong Nai Province, An Phu initially adopted traditional wet granulation. But as production scaled up, limitations became apparent:
Excessive Energy Consumption: Wet granulation requires drying material moisture from 30–40% to below 12%, driving energy consumption above 70 kWh per ton.
Stringent Material Requirements: Raw material moisture had to stay below 12%, adding steps for high-moisture inputs.
Growing Environmental Pressure: Drying generated emissions and dust, with rising pollution control costs.
“We did the math,” recalls Mr. Tran Van Minh, Technical Director. “If energy prices kept rising, our margins would be squeezed to an unsustainable level. We had to change.”
Finding a Way Out of Wet Granulation
In late 2023, An Phu explored alternatives. Upgrading drying systems or adding heat recovery only addressed symptoms. Then at an industry event, they connected with Longguang and learned about compaction granulation—a dry process that completely eliminates the drying stage.
“We were both excited and skeptical,” Mr. Tran admits. “Excited because eliminating drying would solve most of our cost problem. Skeptical because we wondered: without water and drying, could we really produce high-quality pellets?”
Precision Problem-Solving with Dry Granulation
In early 2024, Longguang’s team conducted an on-site assessment and developed a fully customized compaction fertilizer production line:
1. Core Equipment Designed for Dry Granulation
Crushing & Mixing: A Four-Shaft Crusher and Horizontal Chain Mill Crusher ensure uniform particle size, paired with a double-shaft paddle mixer for thorough blending.
Compaction Granulation: The Roller Compactor Dry Granulator uses counter-rotating high-strength rollers to compress materials into sheets, followed by crushing and screening. No water or binders are added—pellets are formed purely through physical compression, completely eliminating the need for drying.
Screening & Polishing: A grading screen and polisher ensure smooth, uniform pellets.
2. Targeted Optimization for Vietnam
High-strength alloy steel rollers with hardened surfaces extend wear life by over 30% for hard materials like DAP and potassium chloride.
Variable frequency drive (VFD) technology automatically adjusts motor speeds to minimize no-load energy consumption.
Eliminating drying reduces equipment footprint by approximately 30%, lowering both investment and maintenance costs.
3. Easy Operation for Vietnamese Teams
PLC fully automatic control with a bilingual interface (Vietnamese and Chinese) enables operators to become proficient after just two days of training.
Roller gap can be adjusted online, extending maintenance intervals and minimizing downtime.
Results: Half the Energy, Double the Strength
Commissioned in August 2024, the line delivered exceptional results:
“Energy consumption dropped from 72 kWh to 38 kWh—cut in half,” Mr. Tran says. “Pellet strength actually doubled. That means our products are much more durable during transportation and mechanized fertilization. Plus, without drying, the production floor is much cleaner.”
High-strength pellets also enabled An Phu to expand into large-scale plantations requiring mechanized fertilization, securing steadily growing orders.
Client Testimonial: From Skepticism to Trust
“Honestly, we were skeptical about dry granulation at first,” Mr. Tran admits. “We always thought granulation required drying—but Longguang’s equipment completely changed that perception. Our energy costs were cut in half, while pellet strength more than doubled. In Vietnam’s competitive market, that’s a huge advantage. Longguang’s engineers were highly professional during installation and commissioning. The training was thorough, and our operators were up and running in no time. This production line has become one of our core competitive strengths. We’re already considering adding a second line.”
Breaking Free, Reshaping Competitiveness
The An Phu case demonstrates that for fertilizer manufacturers struggling with high energy costs, compaction granulation is not just an alternative—it is a fundamental solution. From reducing energy costs that once consumed 25% of the budget to achieving double the pellet strength, Longguang delivered more than equipment. We delivered a production solution built on deep understanding of the client’s challenges—helping them break free from constraints and reshape their competitive edge.
Is your plant struggling with high energy costs?
Contact Longguang Machinery today to explore whether compaction granulation is the right solution for your raw materials and production goals.
