NDR Warehousing Private Limited and PA Consulting, a global innovation and transformation consultancy headquartered in London, have announced a strategic collaboration to design and develop India’s first silo system purpose-built for the storage of milled rice.

The formal signing ceremony was held in Chennai and attended by Amrutesh Reddy, Managing Director of NDR, alongside David Sanders and Andrew Burrows, of PA Consulting Group.

In India, milled rice is largely stored in traditional godowns using jute gunny bags—a system prone to high post-harvest losses, inefficient material handling, and labour-intensive operations. This groundbreaking initiative seeks to transform rice storage infrastructure with scientifically designed silos optimized for India’s diverse Agro-climatic zones.

The project will leverage the cutting-edge capabilities of PA’s Global Innovation and Technology Centre in Cambridge, UK, engaging leading scientists and technologists recognized for advancements in AI, biodegradable materials, and quantum technologies. These specially engineered rice silos aim to enhance storage efficiency, reduce wastage, and strengthen India’s food supply chain resilience.

The collaboration has already attracted interest from international philanthropic organisations, who see potential in replicating the pilot model across rice-producing regions in Asia and Africa—making this a scalable blueprint for global food security.

Beyond agriculture, the partnership lays the foundation for technology-led warehousing in emerging sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, Electric Vehicles (EV), Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and Renewable Energy—marking NDR’s transition into a future-focused infrastructure powerhouse.

“This partnership reflects NDR’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and building globally relevant solutions,” said Amrutesh Reddy, MD of NDR. “Together with PA Consulting, we aim to redefine how India stores and distributes its most critical food grain.”

“We’re excited to collaborate with NDR Warehousing on this important initiative,” added Andrew Burrows, Technology expert at PA Consulting. “It is another exciting opportunity for PA’s scientists and engineers to apply their expertise to technology that could make food systems more resilient and energy efficient and impact millions of lives.”