The first paperless, instantly financed, door to door traceable container from Korea was delivered to the Samsung SDS warehouse in Tilburg via the port of Rotterdam, using Deliver, a platform that works on blockchain.
ABN AMRO, the port of Rotterdam and Samsung SDS have proven that blockchain technology make interoperability possibile and have shown that the integration of traceability systems for containers, processing the necessary freight papers and the financing can all be done paperless within a trusted and safe environment.
New technology like blockchain has the potential to completely take over integral chain management and throw out traditional methods of working. As a 'proof of concept' has shown, an integral chain management system can now be done with paperless integration of physical, administrative and financial flows. The Deliver concept stimulates the automation of processes and offers added value to all actors in the supply chain.
The Deliver concept
The 'proof of concept' showed that Deliver can offer support to visibility above the supply chain form beginning to end, for multi modal freight transport with ocean going vessels, trucks and inland shipping, as well as improvement in access to financing.
The interoperability between physical and block chain platforms enables an ecosystem for international trade with which participants in the supply chain can safely share commercial, sensitive and trusted information, and transfer ownerships.
According to Robert van der Waal, Deputy President of Samsung SDS EU / CIS, Deliver has clearly demonstrated great potential. "The first shipment that made use of the platform gave us clear insight into the possibilities of implementation on a larger scale. As the receiving party we benefited from the direct information and early availability of digitised waybills. We can redesign our processes more efficiently and we can respond directly to reliable data and events while they are still taking place, ultimately reinforcing our range of services to the customer.
Trade flows often serve as collateral for corporate loans. Edwin van Bommel, chief innovation officer of ABN AMRO: “We are strongly committed to helping our customers in their process to fully automate trade flows. All parties involved in trade flows will benefit from effective control, greater efficiency, transparency and traceability. "
Barge Terminal Tilburg was the logistics service provider that organised and carried out the transport of the sea container between the port of Rotterdam and the warehouse in Tilburg. Terminal manager Iwan Maessen says: "The platform enables our company to use a clear communication strategy for receiving and sharing accurate information with the supply chain members, so that we can make better decisions with regard to demand forecasts and choose the most suitable transport mode for delivery.
Next steps:
Now that we have completed the 'proof of concept' phase, the partners ABN AMRO, the port of Rotterdam and Samsung SDS have signed an extensive cooperation agreement for the next phase of the Deliver project.
The purpose of this new phase is to carry out pilot projects with different shippers from different sectors, operating on different trade routes. The ultimate goal is to set up an open, independent and global platform for freight shipping. This will improve the transparency and efficiency of supply chains and possibly lead to millions of euros in cost savings in the long term.
Source: Port of Rotterdam