Supply chain management

A good blockchain use case is one that yields measurable results of values for companies engaged in economic transactions that cannot be possible with other alternatives. This chapter argues that supply chain is one such use case that can really benefit from blockchain. The Netherlands-based market intelligence platform Blockdata's analysis found that traceability and provenance in supply chains was the most popular blockchain use case among the world's biggest brands in 2020. Supply chains have many features that cannot be solved with huge database alone. Complex global Supply chain have no central authority. Companies involved in a supply chain can benefit from transparency, commercial confidentiality of data and an immutable record of transactions. This chapter gives an overview of how blockchain can facilitate the management of the flow of goods and services as well as key processes involved in the transformation raw materials into final products. It promotes an understanding of how blockchain is likely to affect key supply chain management objectives such as cost, quality, speed, dependability, risk reduction, sustainability and flexibility. It also provides a detailed analysis and description of blockchain's roles in tracking the sources of insecurity in supply chains related to Internet of Things devices. A key focus of this chapter is also on the role of blockchain to enhance supply chain visibility.