How Can Blockchain Help In Product Tracing?

With the rise of blockchain technology and smart contracts, these relationships may be further secured by people. Blockchain could improve product tracing by recording all data in a decentralized ecosystem. 

It is especially significant for product tracing and provenance (i.e., assuring that origin of goods is traceable). Check out this Official Website to trade Bitcoin and begin your bitcoin journey.

There are multiple benefits to blockchain integrated into supply chain relationships, including increased productivity, reduced costs, improved consumer information access, and increased trust among stakeholders. Integrating blockchain technology into supply chains is an opportunity for increased productivity. 

Because each transaction is recorded in a decentralized environment, a third party, or central authority, is not needed to verify the transaction and also not needed to mediate the contracts. As a result, it creates opportunities for faster and more accurate product tracing across all design, production, and delivery stages.

No Costs Of Intermediaries: 

Reduction in costs is made possible through reduced reliance on costly intermediaries in the supply chain process when handling logistics and product tracing. Eliminating human error with blockchain technology can more efficiently handle transportation processes that require multiple parties to complete the process (i.e., delivery). Blockchain technology doesn’t require expensive infrastructure, which people can save for companies. Instead, blockchain technology has the potential to make supply chains more efficient.

A possible benefit to consumers of blockchain integrated into supply chain relationships is access to more information about the products they purchase. If a log of each transaction within the supply chain is accessible, then the consumer can access an accurate product history. Since it would provide reliable information on where goods come from, consumers may have increased trust in where their goods are coming from, thereby increasing trust in each company individually or overall in the industry they are involved with. 

Industry Use Cases

Despite all the benefits of blockchain technology integrated into supply chain relationships, users must address several obstacles before these benefits can become possible. One significant obstacle is reaching a critical mass where it can justify research and development costs. In addition, because suppliers, regulators, and distributors have to implement new systems and train staff on how to use them, it could take time for the new system to be fully implemented across many companies.

Making supply chains more efficient through blockchain technology may still not be cost-effective for some companies because of its increased cost. But for those companies that raise their productivity through efficiency in processes, the overall cost-effectiveness of blockchain technology will improve over time due to decreased costs from improved efficiency.

The industry jargon here is track and trace:

Scope: 

Blockchain technology could increase productivity in supply chain relationships by identifying any associated information, from a product’s origins to its current status. It includes the transportation, storage, wholesale and retail sale of goods. The blockchain is a decentralized ledger that describes each transaction for each asset on the network.

Contract Manufacturing:

The blockchain could be used as a digital identity, or “certificate of authenticity,” for each product that contract manufacturers have manufactured. Contract manufacturers are responsible for producing goods on behalf of other companies. Therefore, it would help solve the problem of goods produced in foreign countries and then exported to another country without being traced back to their origins.

This solution would also support import substitution, where the goods are manufactured in the U.S., thereby supporting job creation within the country’s borders. Because this is an emerging technology, there have not been many legislative proposals that require verifiable ownership of products made by a contract manufacturer. \Confusingly, these bills have not yet been passed into law. The smart contract would be based on the terms and conditions laid out by blockchain technology, thus there would be no need for any third-party intermediary to determine if a contract has been satisfied by all parties involved in the supply chain relationship. In addition, blockchain technology is a platform that allows smart contracts to automatically enforce contracts upon execution, eliminating human error such as misinterpreting key terms or typos.

The current solution for tracking goods and their status:

The current system for tracking goods, including serial numbers, products, and history, was built by several different parties during the past 100 years. While multiple parties have contributed to the system of sort codes, date stamps, and individual sales records, this has resulted in a complex network of data systems with no uniform standards.

 This data transfer method relies on using a single identifier linked to one specific asset (e.g., a product or container), which stakeholders then track until it reaches its final destination or is discontinued. It is a very costly and slow process that involves a lot of time and paperwork. Blockchain could be applied to track goods efficiently, contributing to the growth of the logistics industry’s container routes and shipping freight volumes.