The United Parcel Service, also known as UPS, is one of the biggest American multinational package delivery and supply chain management company with an approximate revenue of $70 billion, this company handles on an average day 15.8 million packages. The 112-year-old company is now looking to improve its services with the introduction of blockchain technology.
Just recently, UPS successfully completed the delivery of steaks to Japan using blockchain technology. Through a partnership with the blockchain firm HerdX, the company tracked, monitored and delivered a full shipment of meat from Kansas to Tokyo.
Both companies worked on the development of a visibility tool based on blockchain technology, which is capable of providing updates almost in real-time in regards to the shipping process, allowing for interested parties to view the entire supply chain step by step.
Initially, the beef was sent from Arkansas City, Kansas, where UPS handled the shipping of the product in temperature-controlled packaging to ensure the safety and quality of the product. During the flight, sensors continued to keep track of the product and uploaded information to the blockchain platform to provide updated info. At last, the product was delivered to Ruby Jack’s steakhouse in Tokyo where guests could order the steak and view the freight process through a QR code if requested.
According to Romaine Seguin, President of UPS Global Freight Forwarding:
Blockchain verification for international air freight shipments is complex and requires a great amount of expertise in customs and freight forwarding. Getting it right has implications for many industries, such as restaurants, food & beverage, and retail.
This was the first time that HerdX had used its platform to track beef with blockchain technology. The company usually focuses on the development of blockchain-based livestock verification tools for farmers.
UPS is not the first company to offer such services. Othe major players in the industry have already begun using blockchain solutions to provide clarity, safety and increase trust in the supply chain process of good. As previously reported, Walmart is applying blockchain for the tracking of its veggies, a solution that could quickly alert stores in case a certain farm has been affected or sold infected products, allowing for a much quicker response and avoiding severe food poisoning cases. Ultimately, the goal is to provide a safer environment for consumers and to avoid any infected product to ever get to a customer.
