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1. October 2020Logistics Service Provider Logwin Takes Its China Business on the Road
2. October 2020The HANSEBLOC project has developed a prototype after more than two years of research. HEC GmbH from Bremen has created the software architecture and the prototype based on the requirements of the project partners. The entire project will be presented at the end of November.
(Bremen) A shipment of life-saving medications must be transported under strict refrigeration from Bremen to Paris. How can it be ensured that the cold chain is not interrupted even once during this journey and when transferring to multiple trucks? The blockchain technology of the northern German research consortium HANSEBLOC could make such transport simpler and more reliable in the future. A prototype has now been completed and successfully tested.
Ten partners from a broad network of freight forwarders, IT experts, and researchers have participated in the two-and-a-half-year HANSEBLOC research project, which is coordinated by the Logistics Initiative Hamburg. HEC GmbH from Bremen has played a significant role in developing an architecture for the new system based on the requirements of the logistics providers and completing the prototype with its own team.
“Blockchain itself can become relevant for all areas that require trust in mutual digital business relationships,” says Matthias Menz, HANSEBLOC project manager at HEC. “It provides a system in which partners can securely establish business transactions with or without a payment system, without needing a supervising intermediary.”
Counterfeit-Proof Data and Contracts
The HANSEBLOC platform enables logistics providers to document transport data and hazard transitions in a counterfeit-proof manner. Smart contracts automatically ensure that contractual conditions are met, which can then trigger payment processes, for example. Measurement data on position, temperature, and vibration of goods can also be collected. Reported by sensors integrated into pallets, this data is verified by smart oracles – virtual agents – and forwarded to the blockchain.
The unique aspect of the northern German logistics blockchain is the open platform created within the overall project, which optimally supports the collaboration of actors. Other logistics providers and service providers can participate cost-effectively. The modular architecture allows third parties to expand it and market their own services – much like in an app store. This excludes any market-dominating influence from platform operators or intermediaries.
About HANSEBLOC
HANSEBLOC is an SME-centered R&D project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research to test and develop blockchain solutions in the logistics context. The Logistics Initiative Hamburg acts as the consortium and project coordinator within the framework of the project.
The HANSEBLOC consortium consists of a total of ten northern German consortium partners from the network of the Logistics Initiative Hamburg, including four logistics service providers (Kroop & Co. Transport + Logistik GmbH, SHOT LOGISTICS GmbH, Sovereign Speed GmbH, and Transimeksa Intermodal GmbH), four IT service providers and blockchain experts (Chainstep GmbH, consider it GmbH, HEC GmbH, and Itemis AG), as well as two university partners (HAW Hamburg and Kühne Logistics University GmbH). The HANSEBLOC project will be presented at a closing conference in Hamburg on November 26, 2020.
More information about the project and the application case can be found at: https://hec.de/blog/hansebloc-blockchain
About HEC
HEC (Hanseatic Software Development and Consulting) GmbH has been developing custom software since 1988. With around 170 experts, it supports companies in their digital transformation. As a partner for software development and digitization, it develops advanced IT solutions, designs digitally driven business models, and provides training in technologies and agile methods. HEC works across industries for medium-sized and large companies as well as public clients. It is part of the team neusta corporate group from Bremen, which has around 1,100 employees.
Photo: © Logistics Initiative Hamburg
