One of the most promising applications of emerging blockchain technology is supply chain management. Blockchain—the digital record-keeping system developed for cryptocurrency networks—can help supply chain partners with some of their challenges by creating a complete, transparent, tamperproof history of the information flows, inventory flows, and financial flows in transactions.
The authors studied seven large U.S. corporations that are exploring how blockchain might improve their supply chain operations. Their early initiatives show that the technology can enable faster and more cost-efficient product delivery, make products more traceable, streamline the financing process, and enhance coordination among buyers, suppliers, and banks.
There are special requirements for using blockchain in supply chain management: restricting participation to known, trusted partners; adopting a new consensus protocol; and taking steps to keep errors and counterfeits out of the supply chain. But if implemented thoughtfully, the authors suggest, blockchain could pay big dividends for companies in a host of industries.
