FEATURE: BLOCKCHAIN
and other global companies that need
knowledge and flexibility as they aim to
seamlessly deliver products and services. It’s
no longer enough to know when materials
will arrive from a supplier. Companies want
insight into their suppliers’ manufacturing
processes and inventories to ensure the
timely delivery of their products.
IoT tracking, for instance, lets companies see
a manufacturing vendor’s chain of creation
and delivery so they can plan their own
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manufacturing accordingly. This visibility
enables a manufacturer to turn to its backup
plan when it recognises a vendor needs too
much time to create and ship a critical part,
and to ramp up its processes to acquire a
part that will arrive in time.
As another example, if a partner
can’t deliver a component because
of noncompliance, an AI-driven
recommendation engine can find a
replacement source somewhere else along
BLOCKCHAIN ENHANCES
COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE
MANY PARTNERS OF A SUPPLY
CHAIN AND ULTIMATELY INCREASES
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.
the supply chain. Whether partially or fully
automated, companies now expect this
level of insight.
An automated, AI-driven and Blockchain-
supported supply chain doesn’t help
just the primary stakeholder; the entire
ecosystem benefits from the shared pool
of insights. Guided by data, stakeholders
are incentivised to collaborate to improve
processes and satisfy consumers’ high
expectations. Retailers can identify the
origins of its foodstuffs and demonstrate
that they are produced following
environmentally sound practices and
manufacturers can prove its products were
made under fair labour practices.
Supply chains are built on stacked networks,
and the sprawl of data from those networks
inform the many processes behind each
step in the supply chain. Sprawl can be
disruptive when sources can’t connect.
When data is centralised, automated and
enhanced, partners in the supply chain
smartly create together. n
Blockchain helps
assure customers
that their food is
ethically sourced Ensuring ethical sourcing is
a major focus area for many
companies as they start to
understand just how important
it is to their buyers. And as
Craig Nel, Mobile and Cognitive
Experience (MCX) Leader at
Oracle Middle East, Africa and
Turkey, explains, Blockchain
technology can play a key role.
I Globally, there is a lack of transparency and
traceability into the journey of food produce
from the farm to the shop shelf.
ncreasingly, brands are understanding
they must show they’re thinking about
the wider impact they are having on
society. This is because end-to-end ethics is
something that matters to broad swathes of
society, with those who love good food and
show as much passion for knowing where
their food has come from as they support
their favourite brands.
Yet, when it comes down to showing one’s
credentials, showing proof of the many
components and third parties involved
in the manufacture of products can be
36
INTELLIGENTCIO
difficult. Manufacturing is not a simple
process and, without producing long lists on
clothing labels or, say, food packaging, it’s
been hard to show just how a product has
been created.
When tragedy strikes
It is also difficult to trace the path that
food has travelled when tragedy strikes.
An example of where Blockchain could
have made a big difference in South Africa
is the listeriosis outbreak which was an
avoidable tragedy that sadly cost many lives.
The listeriosis outbreak demonstrated
how finding the source of the outbreak as
quickly and as efficiently as possible is of
utmost importance.
Blockchain provides the ability to
instantaneously trace the entire lifecycle
of food products from origin through
every point of contact on its journey to
the consumer.
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