Supply chains are the driving force for industries around the world. And, increasingly, blockchain technologies are at work strengthening supplies around the world as well. In honor of #HyperledgerSupplychain month, we are spotlighting a range of Hyperledger-powered solutions that are in production adding traceability and transparency to vital supply chains and and saving time and money for the companies that rely on them:
Cargo Release
A few months ago, IQAX announced it has been officially commissioned by the Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN) to build and operate the world-class blockchain for real-time data sharing by container carriers and ports/terminal operators using blockchain technology for more transparent end-to-end supply chain visibility. With the first production application for Cargo Release available in China leveraging Hyperledger Fabric blockchain running across Oracle Blockchain Platform and Alibaba Cloud BaaS nodes, it now provides a paperless, highly efficient and transparent solution. Connecting everyone involved at port of import including shipping lines, consignees, their agents and terminals and eliminating the need for paper, simplifies data exchange and shortens operation time among parties with real-time updates, cutting the time for cargo to be document-ready for release from days to a matter of hours. This live deployment builds on an earlier pilot with Tesla. By eliminating manual processes, the use of Cargo Release has seen significant savings in processing times from two to three days to one to two hours, while also reducing the risk of fraud and theft due to counterfeit or stolen documents, which are no longer possible with digital documents generated and authenticated via blockchain.
Circulor
Electric vehicle producers around the world are responding to pressure from their customers to ensure responsible sourcing of the raw and recycled materials used in their batteries. Circulor’s blockchain traceability solution deployed on the Hyperledger Fabric-based Oracle Blockchain Platform is already used at scale for Volvo Cars and Polestar EVs for the traceability of cobalt used in the battery units they get from the world’s largest battery manufacturer CATL, LG Chem, and other vendors. Tracing the sources all the way from the artisanal mines in the DRC and during the journey they take first to various refineries and ultimately to CATL and LG Chem facilities and then, as part of the battery units, to EV manufacturers was only the beginning. Other materials, such as mica insulators, are now being traced as well to ensure ethical sources free of child labor and other abuses.
With all this refining and global shipping, an electric vehicle supply chain can generate a tremendous amount of CO2 before the car even leaves the assembly line. With the mapped supply chain and Oracle Blockchain Platform to support them, Circulor is now adding CO2 emissions traceability to enable EV manufacturers to pinpoint largest sources of these emissions and focus on reducing them to make EVs truly carbon-neutral.
DL Freight
DL Freight, an invoice management and auto-reconciliation solution from DLT Labs, is operating as the world’s largest full production blockchain solution for any industrial application at Walmart Canada. The remarkably flexible platform was configured and ready to satisfy the demanding needs of Walmart in only 60 days. The Hyperledger Fabric-powered system tracks deliveries, verifies transactions, and automates invoices in real time. Reconciliation between Walmart and its fleet of carriers is no longer necessary because they are all working off the same information and calculations made possible by the smart contract functionality of Hyperledger Fabric.
SmartArgiHub
Oracle and Trace Labs are driving safety and payments in an EU milk supply chain using Oracle Blockchain Platform (OBP) and OriginTrail Decentralized Network (ODN). Milk producers selling their products through a cooperative depend on complex agreements and lab test results for calculations of the price they get for their product. Now in an EU-sponsored SmartAgriHub innovation project, the Hyperledger Fabric smart contract deployed on OBP transparently and in real-time determines and triggers the payments that the cooperative makes to each farmer based on the trusted milk analysis data stored on the ODN and the contractual terms managed on the Hyperledger Fabric ledger in OBP.
TrustFlow
Trustflow from IDS is an enterprise supply chain management application that helps multiple stakeholders in a supply chain consortium network view and access business data and provide controls and privacy. Powered by Hyperledger Fabric, Trustflow integrates with ERP systems to provide one decentralized application with seamless cross-organizational workflow optimization and order management and end-to-end visibility of goods at the pallet, batch and saleable unit level. Initial deployments include pilots in the pharmaceutical industry, where it has enabled firms to cut costs and improve operational efficiency in terms of cross-organizational interactions.
Chime in on social with your own examples of Hyperledger in action in the supply chain space here using #HyperledgerSupplychain.
Supply chain updates from Hyperledger Global Forum
At Hyperledger Global Forum, there was a range of business, technical and demo sessions focused on supply chain developments and deployments, including:
Blockchain Interoperability Demo with Cactus – Peter Somogyvari, Accenture
Oceans Plastics Recycling Solution using Hybrid Blockchain – Hitarshi Buch, Wipro Technologies
We also have an active community for those interested in participating and contributing to supply chain solutions. The Hyperledger Supply Chain Special Interest Group (SIG) is a global collaborative of logistics and supply chain professionals united in advancing the state of the supply chain industry through the implementation of enterprise-grade technology solutions utilizing the Hyperledger greenhouse of business blockchain frameworks and tools.
Cover image: www.epictop10.com at Flick, CC BY 2.0.