Introduction

For decades, businesses small to big, from start-ups to SMEs to massive private and state owned enterprises has been plagued with various supply chain issues such as poor traceability along the supply chain as well as the need for more transparent business practices. Ineffective supply chain risk management as well as a lack of end-to-end visibility are both cited by a study conducted by Deloitte 2018 study titled ‘Continuous interconnected supply chain’. Authenticity and anti-counterfeiting is also a concern in many industries with widespread counterfeiting happening in the market.

Coupled with today’s purchasing behaviour by increasingly educated customers demanding greater transparency, sustainability, ethical business practices and so on, the reality is that even with modern traceability technologies and structures laid out and deployed, businesses still fail to properly track and trace their supply chain as well as effectively communicating their efforts to said customers.

This article will highlight the solution to the problems mentioned above which will also revolutionize your business, supply chain and product marketing and provide in-depth examples and proven case studies on its potential.









Blockchain+IoT as a solution

Deloitte 2018, Continuous interconnected supply chain

Blockchain has been often cited as the perfect solution to many of these complex supply chain problems. Blockchain’s immutable and transparent distributed ledger coupled with modern IoT sensors could ensure that all information could be tracked real-time in the supply chain and that the info recorded would not be tampered. Practical case studies (which would be highlighted in depth later on in this article) has shown that these information could be then highlighted in a transparent manner through QR codes, NFC tags that could be scanned by retail customers.

The problem? Hiring Blockchain consultants, developers, ordering physical IoT kits, sensors, can cost a lot of money. Money that most start-ups or SMEs could not afford to allocate such resources for it. The various enterprise Blockchains out there, such as IBM’s Hyperledger are either costly or hard to approach, being accessible for larger enterprises only.









Introducing ToolChain: A cost effective, zero knowledge required Blockchain solution for products and supply chains

ToolChain is revolutionary turnkey solution powered by the world’s leading enterprise grade public blockchain, VeChain. VeChain is a Blockchain-IoT focused company that provides its services to numerous enterprises and governments worldwide, including BMW, DNV GL, Shanghai Government and more.

















ToolChain allows any business or individual to utilize the class-leading Blockchain and IoT solutions used by VeChain in its enterprise use cases without any technical knowledge, be it Blockchain or the intricacies of the numerous IoT devices in the market.





Pictured: The ToolChain toolkit, with a complete package of industry-leading IoT sensors, devices, hardware portal and software access to the VeChainThor Blockchain

To put it simply, ToolChain provides a complete suite of industry-leading IoT sensors and devices, including NFC, RFID, QR code printer, as well as humidity, acceleration and temperature sensors and a NFC/RFID hybrid tag. ToolChain users will be able to attach these advanced IoT sensors and devices, write information such as supply chain and logistical data into the VeChainThor Blockchain using the supplied software and web portal assigned to each unique individual or business.

















To read more about ToolChain and its feature set, please read the following summary article at https://medium.com/@bsc44/vechain-summit-2019-keynote-summary-4cebc5a98f29#6983









Example use cases and practical case studies

Scenario A: Artisan handicraft maker

For example, if you are an artisan handicraft maker looking for a way to ensure that your handcrafted products are unique and authentic, you are now able to order a ToolChain kit, attach a NFC tag into your product or product label and upload the relevant product authentication information into the Blockchain.

At the same time, product traceability data, logistical flow data, certificates and manufacturing processes as well as photos and videos can also be attached to the NFC tag.

When your product gets shipped to the customer, all he/she needs to do is use the VeChain Pro app and scan the NFC tag to reveal every detail and story that you always wanted to tell.

Pictured: Arket (an H&M subsidiary) utilizing VeChain’s ToolChain powered kit to provide traceability and authenticity information for its customers. Photo credit: VeChain Foundation

Scenario B: Supermarket Sushi

Pictured: Current example marketing efforts to communicate with consumers, credit: Design Ginseisha.jp

Imagine that you are a Sushi distributor thinking of ways on how to better communicate that the Salmon or Tuna you use is of a certain origin (eg. Japan or Norway).

Your current strategy is as of follows:

1) Print physical posters, banners and leaflets with fancy designs explaining your ingredients, certificates and experience

2) Hire part-time promoters and rent stall space

3) Handing out the said physical marketing pieces to customers, hoping that they will not throw it into the rubbish bin as soon as they leave the supermarket/shop.

The weaknesses of the current staple strategy is simply a waste of costs like cash paid to the print shop, wages paid to the designer and promoter, as well as physical resources like paper, ink.

Sushi with a smart QR code linked to the VeChainThor Blockchain, printed using the ToolChain. Image credit: towelkeeper

With ToolChain, a smart QR code can be directly printed on the packaging which shows the entire supply chain and packing process, including cold chain logistics data, humidity and temperature levels maintained throughout the journey of the product to stores, and of course, stories, pictures and videos that would have made it to your physical leaflet if papers could store videos!









Current enterprise and industry case studies

Case 1: SBTG + ToolChain + HBO Asia + Game of Thrones









Mr. Sabotage (SBTG), showcasing his usage of ToolChain for his custom sneakers during the VeChain Summit 2019

SBTG is an influential Singapore based custom sneakers artist, selling customized branded sneakers with collaboration with multiple sneaker brands including Adidas, Nike and more.

Brands that are selling inherently luxury or limited goods often suffer from counterfeits, which SBTG often encounters. Besides problems of counterfeiting, artists like SBTG also struggle from communicating their vision and goals with customers, and the storytelling of such products often ends after the sale of the goods.

With ToolChain, SBTG has successfully implemented an advanced IoT and Blockchain based traceability, authenticity and storytelling marketing, solving all of the problems mentioned above.

SBTG limted edition sneakers are embedded with ToolChain-VeChain NFC chips that can be scanned by customers

When a customer scans the NFC chip sneakers, a full description of the product, an introductory and behind the scenes video, product logistical information, authenticity information, a thank you message and unique sneaker ID are displayed. This, in effect, boosts pre and post-purchase marketing by having an element that directly engages and interacts with SBTG’s customers.





An advertising video showcasing SBTG’s enhanced authenticity system using ToolChain

Case 2: Fuji Marumo Tea

Note: Parts of this case study are extracted from the VeChain Foundation Medium

Fuji MARUMO Tea Garden is a Japanese tea company with a rich heritage of history, boasting a business lineage of almost 100 years. Fuji MARUMO’s tea are harvested in one of the most famous origins of Japanese tea, located in Shizuoka, Japan. Shizuoka has been a staple in tea harvesting as early as in the year 1241.





VeChain NFC tags (printed using ToolChain) are embedded in the product packaging. Photo credit: VeChain Foundation

For this solution, VeChain assigns every product a unique ID assuring the exclusiveness of the line. Through the NFC chip, customers can verify that the origin of their tea is from Fuji MARUMO Tea Garden, the unique environment for cultivating tea in Japan. Furthermore, when scanning the chips, the consumer can retrieve further information about the product, such as the history of the tea garden in a video and a verification certificate issued and stored on the VeChainThor Blockchain.





Video showcasing enhanced traceability, authenticity and storytelling using VeChain NFC solution and ToolChain

Case 3: Haier IoC-COSMOplat platform utilizing VeChainThor

On April 1st, 2019, Haier, DNV GL and VeChain signed a tripartite strategic partnership to utilize the VeChainThor Blockchain for its COSMOplat platform. COSMOPlat is the ecological backbone of Haier, operating as an open industrial internet platform with independent intellectual property rights making it the first ever platform for third parties to participate in the entire industrial process.





Haier has committed to using the VeChainThor Blockchain for its COSMOplat platform, tracking Haier products in the ecosystem. Photo credit: VeChain Foundation

For the purpose of this case study, a simplified overview of Haier’s efforts involve placing Haier products on the Blockchain, tracing its entire product lifecycle history as well as product information. As mentioned in the other case studies above, customers of the Haier ecosystem could easily scan embedded NFC chips or QR codes to obtain product information in a transparent and convenient way.





A user scanning Haier’s ecosystem product to obtain the product’s lifecycle and general information. Photo credit: VeChain Foundation









Conclusion

Through the various use case examples and real case studies above, it is evident that supply chain traceability, authenticity and marketing could be revolutionized by VeChain’s advanced IoT and Blockchain solutions.

The call for more transparency by customers has been both a boon and bane for companies worldwide. With VeChain’s solutions, there is finally a user friendly, transparent, secure and immutable way of transforming a companies supply chain and marketing. Already, massive enterprises like BMW, Deloitte, PwC, H&M, Givenchy, Haier are signed up and using said solutions.

















ToolChain is an unprecedented toolkit that brings the commercial VeChain IoT and Blockchain solutions used by famous companies and enterprises worldwide to everyone, without any technical knowledge or consultants.





VeChain GM for Europe, Jerome Grilleres showcasing ToolChain, a complete turn-key solution for businesses and individuals. Photo credit: VeChain Foundation

















For general, commercial, and business enquiries regarding the ToolChain toolkit, please email bd@vechain.com. Visit the VeChainWorld website and VeChainWorld forum to learn more about VeChain and ToolChain.









Credits and Acknowledgements

Article written by Wilson Cheah, or known as fatalexe on Telegram.

If you enjoyed reading this article, please consider sharing this to your circles.

VeChain tip account (VIP180 tokens): 0x2C50c7AbA38b0C7ca4B5965f2ec9457Bcd319E18

References used:

https://medium.com/@bsc44/vechain-summit-2019-keynote-summary-4cebc5a98f29

https://medium.com/@vechainofficial/featuring-sbtg-vechain-meets-streetwear-6c7685c92487

https://medium.com/@bsc44/vechain-introduces-toolchain-567835dc042d

https://kwontik.com/review_vechain

https://medium.com/@vechainofficial/vechain-dnv-gl-and-haier-ioc-enter-into-tripartite-strategic-partnership-ed1abc7e98b4

https://medium.com/@vechainofficial/vechain-enables-customers-to-verify-the-proof-of-origin-in-japanese-tea-products-80b95f34ab5a

https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/operations/articles/blockchain-supply-chain-innovation.html