Filament
Filament provides Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for industry. Combining smart sensor technology with blockchain, Filament creates decentralised mesh networks which can be used for a range of highly secure, automated machine-to-machine transactions, including running payments, smart contracts and remote firmware management.
One example where Filament is being used to drive efficiency gains and reduce production costs is in vehicle remanufacturing. Remanufacturing is the process of replacing or repairing damaged or obsolete parts on a vehicle using combinations of reused, repaired and new components, rebuilt to a certain specification. In the US alone, the sector is thought to employ half a million people and be worth $50bn a year.
Despite its economic value, remanufacturing has traditionally been viewed as a cumbersome process. Reliant to a large degree on the manual skills of motor mechanics and engineers, remanufacturing has a large an ecosystem that involves parts and vehicle manufacturers, repair shops, dealers and aftercare providers. Lines of communication across the supply chain are often stretched while documentation and governance is complex.
Daimler Trucks, one of the biggest manufacturers of commercial vehicles in the US, partnered with Filament to automate and streamline its aftermarket remanufacturing operations. Using Filament’s pioneering Blocklet Enclave technology, a USB device which allows machines to transact on the blockchain, Daimler Trucks took the initiative in establishing a peer-to-peer network tracking data and transactions throughout is remanufacturing supply chain.
This private permissioned blockchain allows Daimler to monitor order status for parts in close to real time, automate payments on approval by inspection and gain full visibility across the value chain. The first P2P connection platform of its kind in the commercial vehicle industry, the approach improves intelligence, communication and efficiency in Daimler’s remanufacturing operations, cutting costs and raising the bar on data security.
Everledger
Everledger is an asset management solution which uses blockchain to establish what it calls ‘ecosystems of trust’. In the trade and transfer of high-value commodities like diamonds, fine art, wine and other luxury goods, Everledger’s blockchain platform tracks asset provenance, sharing product details between stakeholders transparently and securely. It also uses smart contracts, IoT and machine vision technologies to automate large parts of the transaction and verification processes.
In the diamond industry, for example, Everledger’s provenance tracking solution has won widespread support and partnerships with key players. Working with Dharmanandan Diamonds, for example, it launched the Diamond Time-Lapse Protocol, a platform which engages miners, dealers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers in achieving full traceability of every diamond throughout its lifetime.
Similarly, Everledger has worked with the Diamond Durability Laboratory (DDL) to create a diamond risk evaluation solution, which amongst other things supports accuracy of insurance underwriting based on assessment of the condition of a diamond. It has also been adopted by Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group and diamond grading authority the GIA to create consumer information products, while Rare Carat has used Everledger’s blockchain to build similar applications to allow would-be purchasers to check provenance, quality and price.
In the world of fine art, Everledger has partnered with evaluation and restoration experts The True Image Solution Ltd to create a system for logging and managing forensic reports into artworks. These reports play an essential role in ascertaining the validity and authenticity of pieces of art to combat counterfeiting, and the adoption of a blockchain-based solution is intended to cut down on the use of fraudulent reports.
Finally, Everledger has teamed up with smart labelling innovator Avery Dennison to create the world’s first digital provenance label for the food and drink industry. Applying the smart label technology it has pioneered for footwear and apparel to create a tamper-proof wine bottle label, Avery Dennison has combined its solution with an Everledger provenance tracking blockchain. Each bottle of wine is given a unique digital identity stored on the blockchain, which can then be scanned from the label using an NFC reader - the same technology which reads payment apps from a smartphone. This ensures wine retailers can check the authenticity of every bottle they receive.