Track & Trace

We’ve already looked at the emerging applications of RFID technology which effectively combat the endless flow of international product counterfeiting—from foreign-made “knockoffs” of trusted luxury brand merchandise to the potentially lethal importation of counterfeit prescription drugs. Today we’d like to delve deeper into the technical aspects of how the advanced miniaturization of RFID tags themselves make them an extremely valuable tool for delivering tamper-proof product authentication—and consumer peace-of-mind.

Logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel has entered into a strategic partnership with Zebraxx, a leading application service provider of logistics solutions to provide customers with more visibility for their last mile shipments.
Kuehne + Nagel customers have enjoyed the benefits of Zebraxx for several years; in 2017 almost 10 million transactions have been handled by the system.

Repercussions of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are far-reaching. One of the outcomes will require businesses to take the use of cloud storage and applications much more seriously. Not only will businesses need to know which—and how—cloud storage and file sharing apps are being used by their employees, they also must ensure that either the cloud services in use are compliant and integrated into their GDPR processes (i.e., right to erasure / forgotten) or the flows of data to them are inspected and scrubbed of personal information.

Blockchain technology has the ability to transform the retail and consumer goods value chain. The blockchain’s ability to track and trace products and record transactions and contracts will lead to widespread adoption in these two sectors in the next five years, with those companies which fail to leverage this new technology risking falling behind. This is according to a report by Deloitte which cites changing consumer demands as a key reason for both industries to turn to blockchain technology. In its report titled “New Tech on the Block”, Deloitte also revealed that it is developing its own blockchain solutions to help address challenges in these sectors.

The safety features include a requirement for a Unique Identifier which will be an alphanumerical code enabling the identification and authentication of an individual pack. It involves the assignment of a unique serial linked to the individual production data in the form of a Data Matrix Code. Under the Falsified Medicines Directive, the Marketing Authorisation Holder has several reporting and notification requirements to make to the European hub, the two primary ones being for product master data and serialised product pack data. This means that, by June (yes- in a couple of weeks!), companies will need to have chosen their serialisation solutions, and implementations must have advanced far enough that companies are able to test their systems connection with the European Hub.

Track and trace solutions provide transparency and help you, as a business, to be able to put into place the correct measurements, so data can be fully utilised.

Blockchain technology is no longer confined to the digital imagination. It is now a very real mechanism used by businesses worldwide to implement powerful solutions to some of commerce’s most pressing problems. Early experimentation with variations of blockchain technology has proven most fruitful in the financial sphere, but also at the sharper end of the stick – in supply chain management and logistics. 

Real-time freight tracking systems are getting smarter by the day and beginning to gain momentum, but some believe they still have not quite arrived.

After running a successful pilot temperature-monitoring solution based on blockchain technology, Swiss Post and Modum have announced their cooperation to fully implementing the solution for the shipment of Phamaceuticals.
The pilot solution was used to deliver temperature-sensitive products to key customers. Its success has paved way for full integration of the solution. The monitoring solution will be integrated with Swiss Post’s track-and-trace system.

A new security system guaranteeing your stolen bike back within 48 hours, or you get a new one, is being launched on Thursday by motoring and tourism body ANWB.
The system, which is coupled to an insurance policy, involves glueing a tiny transmitter to a bike, which can be activated if the bike gets stolen and then used to trace the two-wheeler.

Tech giant IBM has been at the forefront of the blockchain revolution for ages past, developing and deploying decentralized solutions for large corporations and retail shops alike. Now, Big Blue has taken the gospel of distributed ledger technology to Africa where its enabling retail fruit sellers access to microloans thanks to its latest solution.

If the internet created a world of low friction communication, blockchain can create a world of low friction value transfer. Indeed, blockchain’s power to transform the world can only be fully harnessed when we stop talking about blockchain and the hype is replaced by this technology fading to the background. Like all periods of fervor, where companies like Kodak and Long Island Iced Tea saw a spike in their share prices on the mere mention of blockchain or tokens, the quiet work that can indeed change the world is going on in the background largely unnoticed.

With all the hype around Bitcoins, you’ve probably at least heard of the distributed database technology known as blockchain. But blockchain isn’t just for cryptocurrency and other financial services applications. It’s even finding its way into supply chains, and it has the potential to have a significant impact on supply chain planning.

“Increasingly consumers and manufacturers are getting more concerned and more aware of country of origin,” Fearnley said. “For example, you’re trying to make sure that you’re not getting conflict minerals — you want to make sure that the country of origin is the right place to be buying products from, that it’s not in a war zone or from a criminal element.”

In essence, blockchain is an open, distributed ledger running on a peer-to-peer network that can record transactions between two (or more) parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way. Blockchain enables an open set of parties to maintain a safe, permanent, and tamper-proof digital ledger of transactions, without a central authority. The ledger itself can also be programmed to trigger processes automatically, adding speed and eliminating costs from complex, high-volume transactions. Blockchain is a mutual, trustworthy, shared data source that can unleash trapped value in key operational processes and help businesses collaborate more effectively and efficiently.

Frustration with the US pharmaceutical industry has been on the rise along with the steadily increasing out-of-pocket copays for prescriptions drugs. The news cycle has also been reporting more frequently about extreme overnight price hikes on, at times, life-saving drugs. Many people are suspecting foul play because drug price negotiations are often held behind closed doors. Together, these factors have increased the average American’s mistrust of “Big Pharma”.