Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

newsworthy

Dutch team pushes blockchain technology for logistics data

$2.3 million initiative would use security protocol to protect supply chain records.

DC Velocity Staff
By DC Velocity StaffJan 02, 2017
DC Velocity Staff
See Full Bio

A team of Dutch supply chain firms and industry players has launched a $2.3 million push to apply blockchain technology to the country's logistics sector and use the popular computer security protocol to ease the flow of data between trading partners.

First announced Nov. 8, the project will be led by the public-private technology incubator TKI Dinalog and its partners, the national research organizations TNO and NWO. Together, they will work with a consortium of 16 partner companies to develop the contours of a new information infrastructure based on blockchain technology, uniting operational information, financial flows, and contracts.

Most famously used as the underpinnings of the global, virtual financial currency Bitcoin, the technology has been finding new applications in recent years, particularly in the financial sector.

The announcement echoes recent U.S. initiatives to apply blockchain security to logistics data, such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s announcement in October 2016 that it would partner with IBM Corp. to use the technology to improve its track and trace capabilities on food shipments in China.

Blockchain technology could be an important addition to IT practices in logistics because it creates a secure, digital record of transactions that preserves the chain of custody as goods or data flow through the supply chain. Also known as "distributed ledger" technology, it records an immutable software record of everyone who has touched or read an item as it moves between partners.

The Dutch group says its effort is unique because it unites various partners in the logistics chain in adopting blockchain together. Additional major support will come from a complementary effort, the public-private initiative to establish a national research institute for blockchain, previously initiated by the Netherlands' Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The new effort will feature input from a wide range of Dutch supply chain firms, banks, and colleges, including the Delft University of Technology, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam-based bank ABN AMRO, the International Supply Chain Finance (SCF) Community, the Port of Rotterdam, and the national florists conglomerate Royal FloraHolland. Corporate partners also include: mining firm FBBasic, tech firms Cirmar, BeScope Solutions, and TransFollow, and financial services firms NBK and Innopay.

ArticleTechnology
cirmarport of rotterdamibmbescope solutionswalmartinnopayroyal florahollandabn amro
ArticleTechnology
cirmarport of rotterdamibmbescope solutionswalmartinnopayroyal florahollandabn amro

The Latest

photos of us capital dome and a container ship at dock
Regulation/Government

Supply chain groups push back on Trump tariff plan

containers stacked in yard
Regulation/Government

U.S. manufacturers scramble to avoid pain of tariff war

maersk and hapag lloyd container ships at dock
Maritime & Ocean

Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd begin “Gemini” collaboration on Saturday

More Stories

drawing of warehouse AMR bot with IOT data

North American manufacturers embrace “factory of the future”

Manufacturing enterprises in North America are breaking with tradition to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) as they seek to compete amid new technologies, consumer demands, and economic shifts, according to a report from the research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG).

That changing landscape is forcing companies to adapt or replace their traditional approaches to product design and production. Specifically, many are changing the way they run factories by optimizing supply chains, increasing sustainability, and integrating after-sales services into their business models.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

tractor trailer truck on the road
Trucking

OOIDA cheers federal report calling for ban on truck lease-purchase agreements

diagram of lithium-ion battery in EV
Batteries/Chargers/Motors/Fuel

Lithium refinery to build $1.2 billion factory in Oklahoma

cargo handling cranes at a port
Cranes

Port of Savannah got four more ship-to-shore cranes on Saturday

a drone flying in a warehouse
Technology

Geodis goes airborne to speed cycle counts

a port yard with artificial intelligence
Artificial Intelligence

​Putting artificial intelligence to work

chart of women's portion of transport and storage jobs

Women hold only 12% of transportation and storage jobs worldwide

Women are significantly underrepresented in the global transport sector workforce, comprising only 12% of transportation and storage workers worldwide as they face hurdles such as unfavorable workplace policies and significant gender gaps in operational, technical and leadership roles, a study from the World Bank Group shows.

This underrepresentation limits diverse perspectives in service design and decision-making, negatively affects businesses and undermines economic growth, according to the report, “Addressing Barriers to Women’s Participation in Transport.” The paper—which covers global trends and provides in-depth analysis of the women’s role in the transport sector in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA)—was prepared jointly by the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the International Transport Forum (ITF).

Keep ReadingShow less

How clever is that chatbot?

Oh, you work in logistics, too? Then you’ve probably met my friends Truedi, Lumi, and Roger.

No, you haven’t swapped business cards with those guys or eaten appetizers together at a trade-show social hour. But the chances are good that you’ve had conversations with them. That’s because they’re the online chatbots “employed” by three companies operating in the supply chain arena—TrueCommerce, Blue Yonder, and Truckstop. And there’s more where they came from. A number of other logistics-focused companies—like ChargePoint, Packsize, FedEx, and Inspectorio—have also jumped in the game.

Keep ReadingShow less
White House in washington DC

Experts: U.S. companies need strategies to pay costs of Trump tariffs

With the hourglass dwindling before steep tariffs threatened by the new Trump Administration will impose new taxes on U.S. companies importing goods from abroad, organizations need to deploy strategies to handle those spiraling costs.

American companies with far-flung supply chains have been hanging for weeks in a “wait-and-see” situation to learn if they will have to pay increased fees to U.S. Customs and Border Enforcement agents for every container they import from certain nations. After paying those levies, companies face the stark choice of either cutting their own profit margins or passing the increased cost on to U.S. consumers in the form of higher prices.

Keep ReadingShow less
phone screen of online grocery order

Houchens Food Group taps eGrowcery for e-com grocery tech

Grocery shoppers at select IGA, Price Less, and Food Giant stores will soon be able to use an upgraded in-store digital commerce experience, since store chain operator Houchens Food Group said it would deploy technology from eGrowcery, provider of a retail food industry white-label digital commerce platform.

Kentucky-based Houchens Food Group, which owns and operates more than 400 grocery, convenience, hardware/DIY, and foodservice locations in 15 states, said the move would empower retailers to rethink how and when to engage their shoppers best.

Keep ReadingShow less
Copyright ©2025.