The main goals of supply chain companies around the world are cost reduction and revenue growth. By automating business operations with a minimal risk of failure owing to human error, blockchain can assist achieve these aims.
Blockchain-based management systems assist standardize shipping routes, take charge of shipping conditions, automate the handling of freight documentation, and serve as a central hub for the entire supply chain, removing confusion brought on by ineffective communication. On a single platform, insights such as delays, stops, cargo verification, and others are readily visible.
How does it function in real life? Check out the real-world application scenarios we chose for today’s article to see.
Supply Chain With Blockchain: The Ideal Combination of Efficiency and Transparency
Blockchain technology offers the principles of efficiency and transparency in supply networks, which are reliability and integrity.
Efficiency
Global supply chains are more effective thanks to blockchain development services, which enables firms to execute transactions directly and without the assistance of a third party. Additionally, it facilitates the integration of financial and logistical services, improving stakeholder data collaboration.
Integrated payment systems, which reduce the time between ordering and payment processing, guarantee the proper, timely movement of goods. Additionally helping businesses improve compliance, reduce legal fees and penalties for late tax payments, and lessen fraud and forgery is blockchain technology and smart contracts.
Blockchain technology can be used in conjunction with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, which use electromagnetic fields to identify and track objects. Supply chains are often used to track product-related information and verify when ownership or possession is transferred as they grow more automated. A smart contract is fulfilled when goods with RFID-tagged codes that are automatically scanned reach its destination.
Transparency
The blockchain can be used to create a transparent supply chain because entries cannot be removed from it. Furthermore, since every stage of the supply chain is securely recorded, logistics issues may be rapidly identified and resolved. The same goes for getting supplies of raw materials or parts that can be used to identify their country of origin, increase accountability and transparency, and curtail illegal activity.
One study estimated that the ability of blockchain to establish product provenance may raise the global GDP by $962 billion.
The supply chain benefits from increased trust and confidence when information about a product’s creator, origin, transfer, and use is more transparent.
Real Use-Cases Of Blockchain In The Supply Chain Management
The following use cases show the significant influence of blockchain consulting firm and its services that has already had on global supply chains:
IBM Trust Your Supplier For Supplier Verification
In August 2019, IBM and Chainyard announced their joint effort, Trust Your Supplier. The established blockchain network streamlines the onboarding of new suppliers and their subsequent lifecycle reviews, enabling users to find, confirm, and use data about providers they are unfamiliar with. Data on the platform is safely kept on a blockchain, so it cannot be lost or corrupted.
A user produces their digital passport in Trust Your Supplier, which is reviewed for compliance before being shared with any approved buyer. Users of the site are protected from the risk posed by dishonest or fraudulent actors because information cannot be secretly erased.
Digital Bill of Lading From ZIM
ZIM, an Israeli ocean carrier operator, started a trial project to digitize bills of lading in 2019. The bill of lading, which acts as both a receipt and a contract for the items being sent, demands careful attention and, if completed incorrectly, can cancel transportation.
A blockchain is used to produce an electronic bill of lading, making it impossible to lose or alter its data. Quantity, destination, shipment information, handling information, and invoicing terms are all included in the digital document.
During the 2017 container transportation from China to Canada, ZIM’s test was successful. A traditional bill of lading transaction might take up to a few weeks back then, whereas digital bills of lading were transferred to their receivers in less than two hours back then.
Ops Chain For Process Management By Ernst & Young
In 2017, Ernst & Young launched Ops Chain as a blockchain solution for supply chain businesses looking to modernize their operations. Users of the platform may simply handle purchasing, inventory, transportation, invoicing, and account management as well as create networks of supply chain partners.
Blockchain Wine Pte. Ltd. deployed Ops Chain in 2019 to optimize the supply chain for the wine market, making it possible to track each bottle of wine all the way from its production to the final consumer. This directly enhanced sales and client confidence.
Additionally, the Canadian Blood Service employed Ops Chain to trace the transit of donor blood in order to speed up delivery and reduce the possibility of delivery failures.
ADNOC Blockchain For Oil Supply
The United Arab Emirate’s oil-producing business Abu Dhabi National Oil Company launched a blockchain project to enhance the tracking of oil in its supply chain from wells to customers.
About 3 million barrels of oil are produced by ADNOC each day, which necessitates intensive monitoring and exact manipulation at both the production and distribution stages. The program’s goal is to automate manual processes while continuously documenting transactions.
In order to increase the transparency of the company’s supply chain activities, the system enables batch documentation tracing, monitoring oil condition and origin, and automatically handling all distribution and logistics stages.
The autonomy of the blockchain guarantees greater security and preservation of all data while assisting in the reduction of time and shipping costs. The platform’s ability to connect investors and customers in the future is anticipated to deliver reliable, consistent information regarding oil supplies.
Proton Project
Through the use of smart contracts, PepsiCo’s blockchain pilot automated parts of the supply chain for its programmatic advertising. In order to reconcile ad impressions from various data sources, the project deployed these contracts. This enabled real-time payments using digital tokens and led to a 28 percent improvement in efficiency.
Food Sector
Having reliable records to track products back to their sources is becoming essential in this market. For instance, Walmart tracks its products at every stage of the supply chain using IBM’s blockchain-based Food Trust. Among others, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, Carrefour, and Raw Seafoods employ Food Trust for this.
Mining Giant BHP
Utilize blockchain to digitize operations, employing the technology to validate suppliers and guarantee that environmental, social, and governance standards are upheld across the supply chain. With China Baowu Steel, the business finalized its first blockchain iron ore deal in 2017 for about $14 million. The MineHub platform was used to effectuate the transaction.
GreenTrack
In order to trace fabric goods from sustainable forests all the way through production, the South African paper business Sappi and the Indian fabric manufacturer Birla Cellulose joined up to develop GreenTrack. More than 250 supply chain partners, including Walmart and Marks & Spencer, have used the platform.
Diamond Giant De Beers
They track stones using blockchain technology from the time they are mined until they are sold to customers. The technique guarantees the business stays clear of “conflict” or “blood” diamonds and gives its clients peace of mind that they are getting the real thing.
Final Synopsis
By ensuring complete transparency along the transaction chain, the blockchain eliminates the risk of fraud. The possibility of fraud associated with a takeover of the system itself is also eliminated because there is no central authority that decides if a transaction is genuine. Transaction validity becomes a fully democratic process because verification is dispersed along with record-keeping. There is no authority in charge, thus there is no one to bribe or buy off to take over.
This allows transactions that have value to be recorded through the blockchain, not simply financial transactions. The options are endless: voting procedures, ride-sharing, or even who gets to host the meeting this month.
