Blockchain in Supply Chain and Logistics: Current application landscape & recommendations for future projects

The deployment of Blockchain technology in Supply Chain and Logistics (SC&L) has not had the high impact expected initially. To understand this difference, we gather a large sample of Blockchain projects in SC&L, focusing on their use cases, value propositions, and technological and organizational approaches. We find that current projects focus on provenance and data exchange use cases, with an Inward-Looking Value Proposition. More complex systems are rare, and projects involving customs use cases and projects aiming for Automation and Sales are rare as well. We also found limited usage of Smart Contracts and Zero-knowledge proofs. From an organizational perspective, the projects mostly follow traditional non-Blockchain approaches rather than the incentive-based open systems found in the cryptocurrency space. Based on these observations, we provide guidelines for future Blockchain projects in SC&L.

Thomas Twenhöven joined Kühne Logistics University as a researcher in November 2018 and became a PhD candidate in April 2019. He is a PhD candidate under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Moritz Petersen. He holds both a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering with a focus on Transportation Science from Technical University of Berlin. During this time, he was an intern at Deutsche Bahn AG in a train dispatch automation project and a working student as a software project engineer at IVU Traffic Technologies AG. Additionally, he spent a semester abroad at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm to study management and traffic modelling. In his Master's thesis, he analyzed the effect of blockchain disruptions on the operation of smart contracts. After finishing his degree, he joined KLU as a Research Associate in November 2018. Thomas' work at KLU is focused on Blockchain technology in Logistics and Supply Chain. In particular, he works on the ChainLog and HANSEBLOC projects. This includes the technology in general, its application in the sector and the relevance for SMEs. Beyond Blockchain, Thomas also researches the applications of zero-knowledge proofs in supply chain management.