More than a third of German logistics managers believe that blockchain technology has the potential to significantly improve cooperation in supply chains, according to a Hermes survey published Nov. 12. The survey polled participants on which technologies they believed were important for improving cooperation within the supply chain. 35 percent of respondents recognized the importance of blockchain, while 33 percent said that big data is important. Participants also noted the importance of Cyber-Physical Systems (56 percent) , Enterprise Resource Planning systems (46 percent), and sensor monitoring and data acquisition systems (44 percent). In larger companies — specifically in companies with …

Canada-based blockchain and crypto company DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. (DMG) has announced the development of a global supply chain management platform for the legal cannabis industry, according to an announcement published Oct. 17. As reported by Canada’s national public news and information service CBC, the country’s government officially legalized recreational marijuana as of today. Cannabis was previously available only for medicinal use within the country. According to Health Canada, there are currently over 120 licensed cannabis producers in Canada, where one of the top producers has already stated that labor shortages and supply chain issues could lead to scarcity soon …

The adoption of blockchain technology is slowly taking shape across a multitude of industries. At the forefront of the amalgamation of payment systems and logistics is US tech giant International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), which has established itself as a leader in terms of blockchain-based products and offerings. The latest developments aim at the logistics sector – but IBM has been keen on blockchain for over 5 years that reveals a slow and steady approach to the adoption of enterprise-scale blockchain solutions. Exploring the Internet of Things Their beginnings in the space were focused on research on the capabilities of …

The Korea Customs Service has signed an agreement with Samsung SDS to deploy blockchain technology for its customs clearance system, according to a press release published September 14. Samsung SDS, the IT arm of electronics giant Samsung, will develop a blockchain-powered platform based on Nexledger, which will be used for export customs logistics services. Nexledger is a blockchain platform designed to provide an integrated solution to businesses looking to reduce expenses while managing digital financial transactions and data exchange. The new product is reportedly aimed at organizations active in export operations, enabling them to streamline and secure document sharing at …

Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) is working on a blockchain-based data sharing system for the trade industry, Cointelegraph Japan reported Thursday, August 23. The NEDO, Japan’s largest public management organization that promotes research and deployment of industrial and energy technologies, is reportedly developing a blockchain-powered project to streamline the infrastructure for trade information sharing. The organization is operating under the instructions of its parent body, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The project, dubbed “Development of Infrastructures for Creating New Industrial Models Taking Advantage of IoT” aims to establish an infrastructure system that will …

One of the largest law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Customs and Border Protection (CBP), will launch a live test of a blockchain-based shipment tracking system, tech news and media agency GSN reports August 24. In the upcoming test, the CBP will reportedly combine two separate systems: the CPB’s legacy application and a blockchain-powered platform developed by the agency’s parent body — and the country’s primary border control organization — the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The test results will determine how the distributed ledger technology (DLT) is able to enhance the verification process of certificates of origin from the …

IBM and Danish transport and logistics giant Maersk have launched their global blockchain-enabled shipping solution, according to an official press release today, August 9. The new jointly developed blockchain solution revealed 94 organizations involved and 154 million shipping events already captured. The global supply chain platform has been dubbed ‘TradeLens,’ and its dataset is reportedly growing at a rate of close to one million shipping events a day. According to the press release, the platform is able to track critical data about each shipment in a supply chain in real time, generating a distributed, immutable record on the fly. TradeLens’ …

Consulting giant Accenture has plans to use blockchain to upgrade its logistics network, a patent application published July 26 reveals. According to the document published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the corporation wants to follow in the footsteps of various major players in leveraging blockchain to secure, speed up and increase the efficiency of logistics movements. “A device may receive an indication that a product has arrived at a destination. The product may have been shipped by an entity to the destination,” the patent’s abstract begins, elaborating: “The device may perform an analysis on the product to …

South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT has announced a major Blockchain Technology Development Strategy that aims to raise 230 bln won (~$207 mln) by 2022, The News Asia reports today, June 21. According to the Ministry’s official announcement, the new initiative will foster 10,000 blockchain industry professionals and 100 companies, and will expand and commercialize six existing blockchain pilots with the Ministry’s backing. These pilots aim to leverage blockchain technology for real estate, online voting, shipping logistics, livestock record management, customs clearance, real estate, and international e-document distribution. The Ministry’s press release also gives examples of private blockchain initiatives …

Delivery services multinational FedEx said it is “quite confident” blockchain has “big, big implications” for supply chains in a speech May 14, as it continues engagement with the technology. Speaking at the Consensus 2018 conference in New York Monday, FedEx CEO Fred Smith said that the time had come for businesses to ingratiate themselves with blockchain or face “probable extinction.” “We’re quite confident that it has big, big implications in supply chain, transportation and logistics,” he said during a panel quoted by Bloomberg and other sources, continuing: “It’s the next frontier that’s going to completely change worldwide supply chains.” FedEx …

German Ingolstadt-based car manufacturer Audi is testing Blockchain technology for its physical and financial distribution processing, Cointelegraph auf Deutsch reported today, March 30. With its new solution, Audi aims to increase the security and transparency in its global supply chains. The car manufacturer released a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) of its Blockchain system last year, after successfully testing the technology based on Hyperledger Fabric. Due to positive feedback, Audi’s management decided to advance the project beyond the PoC stage. The research team comprised of representatives from various organizational units such as finance, production, logistics and IT are currently exploring the representation and …