Large agricultural corporations and small local farmers bring grain products to the depots. When a truck driver delivering grain enters one of the facilities, he is directed to a testing station, where a sample of the grain is tested for several quality factors, such as humidity level, to determine for how long it can be stored safely. If the grain sample passes the quality tests, the driver is directed to a bay, where he dumps the load into a large receptacle that holds the grain until it is loaded into a silo. The driver is then directed to another area of the facility, to be paid before leaving.
The regulations require that food grain be stored in climate-controlled silos for no more than three years. The company can maintain the grain's quality once it is placed within the silos, through automated systems that periodically stir the grain and maintain optimal humidity levels. But Adani also wanted to automate the depot operations, to better control the type and quality of the grain placed into the silos, as well as to quickly and accurately track the incoming loads of grain, linking the shipment information with its accounting system. "Adani wanted as much automation as possible," says Malay Nandy, who heads the IT department for Adani Agri-Vertical, part of the Adani Group corporate conglomerate.