As the world increasingly moves to digital solutions, the logistics industry has been hard at work shifting its methods to embrace the digital revolution. The MOSOLF Group is one such example of the incorporation of blockchain technology in logistics, which allows them to securely process digital bills of lading. Read this case study to learn more about how the ETECTURE team helped make a forgery-proof solution to expand and optimize the logistical processes.
About the client
The MOSOLF Group is one of the leading system service providers for the automobile industry in Europe. The MOSOLF Group’s services cover the complete value-added chain for automobile logistics: from the end of the conveyor belt to recycling. In addition to transporting vehicles (cars, light commercial vehicles, “high & heavy”), its business operations include workshop services, special vehicle construction, industrial coatings, mobility services, releasing agent services, electromobility, and vehicle recycling. MOSOLF provides all-around, customized solutions within this context for the automobile industry, fleet operators, and car dealers from one source and also handles the associated data flow by means of modern software solutions.
The challenge
Blockchain technology is ideal for fraud prevention in logistics processes because it creates a secure and tamper-proof record of transactions. MOSOLF Group aimed to to increase the security and efficiency of processes within the supply chain. The required solution is supposed to bring more transparency, privacy and traceability and allow multiple parties to have access to the same information. As the result, this would increase trust, accountability and collaboration between multiple parties in logistics, reducing the risk of fraud.
The solution
Innovation and added value.
The ETECTURE team has created a safe blockchain solution for digital bills of lading. The decentralized application (DAPP) based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) secures processes and documents using smart contract technology. For mapping relevant logistics processes (loading, transport, handover), the data of digital consignment notes is first checked using a smart contract and then stored using a hash method via a fingerprint. In addition, the time stamp and the associated GPS coordinates of a transaction on the blockchain are documented in a forgery-proof and data protection-compliant manner.
The DAPP (Decentralized Application) designed by ETECTURE works with telematics software developed by LAWA Solutions to record and process digital bills of lading from MOSOLF. The digital bills of lading are checked using a smart contract and then stored as a manipulation-protected fingerprint in the blockchain. To ensure privacy, only hash values are used and sent over the network for data transmission and document checking.
Communication with the blockchain is done through a Java application with a web front end and an API interface for data imports and exports. This allows the document to be checked via the web interface by entering or uploading digital consignment notes and a VIN from the document. The hash values of the data are then computed and sent to the blockchain for verification.
A Java application (based on Spring-Boot) was programmed for the web interface and API access. This communicates with the blockchain via the Ethereum geth client. The Java application is designed to be able to operate either parallel to the blockchain on a local node or to connect to a remote node (this functionality is important for thin clients that cannot or do not want to synchronize the blockchain (storage, computational capacity)).
Our newly developed logistics platform streamlines and simplifies current procedures through a built-in plausibility check, making them transparent for all authorized participants on the blockchain. The comprehensive, tamper-proof data documentation also offers the added benefit of ensuring fraud prevention within the supply chain that can be fully verified.
Future plans: evolve blockchain in logistics
The MOSOLF, ETECTURE, and LAWA Solutions partnership will take the next step to further enhance the blockchain platform they have created. They aim to optimize transaction costs and increase trust through a more robust solution. As they continue to explore the potential of technology in the logistics industry, they will focus on automating processes, which will play a vital role in driving the digital transformation of the logistics sector.
