German companies Edeka, Lidl, Henkel, SAP, Lufthansa and several other large companies are planning a joint blockchain project for the exchange of load carriers. Well-known companies are working on blockchain projects This was announced by the German branch of the standardization organization GS1. The companies involved in the project, all of which have a turnover of several billion euros and employ thousands of people, clearly show the relevance of the blockchain in the logistics sector. A total of 14 companies want to develop a blockchain-based solution for a more efficient and transparent exchange of load carriers and make it available to market participants. Only last year, the company VeChain launched a cross-continental logistics and trade solution. Nestlé also uses blockchain to increase transparency in their production chain. Blockchain project to be realized in only two years Load carriers are units that can hold a variety of different goods. This can take the form of pallets or containers, for example. The aim is to develop a blockchain-based solution within the next two years that will allow this process to be managed digitally, transparently and efficiently. “At the heart of the initiative is the exchange of load carriers of different types. The processes surrounding the exchange of load carriers are very complex and characterized by a lack of transparency and inefficiency,” explains Dirk Freda, Lead Competence Center Supply Chain Management at GS Germany. He named the objectives of the project as follows:

“The common goal of the project is to create more transparency and efficiency in the market by means of block chains. Our aim is not to develop another platform, but to create compatibility and synergy effects by means of block chain in conjunction with standards.”

In the first year of the project, a detailed concept should be developed first, which would then be implemented in the second year. Subsequently, the final solution should be operated by the participating companies in the consortium. GS Germany had already tested and successfully completed a blockchain project in 2018. The result of the test showed that the tracking of carriers during pallet exchanges can be completely digitalized by blockchain technology. * Originally published in German at CVJ.ch