Examining and Evaluating Potential Blockchain Applications in Manufacturing and R&D

Sammanfattning: Blockchain – the technology behind virtual currencies such as Bitcoin – is beingpromoted by many as one of the most promising emerging technologies. At its corethe blockchain is a distributed, immutable data base, able to pinpoint exactly whenand by whom a given transaction has been made. Similar to the internet in its earlydays, blockchain (often referred to as Distributed Ledger Technology) must be seenas a foundational technology, enabling a great variety of potential applications.The blockchain’s greatest potential lies in its ability to disintermediate and optimizevery specific processes, companies should first evaluate exactly where and howthey could benefit from it and whether blockchain-based solutions could provide anadvantage compared to traditional ones. Some of the blockchain’s key advantagesinclude disintermediation, improved traceability of products, increasedtransparency of transaction histories, as well as enhanced security of recordsregarding fraud and unauthorized activities. Within manufacturing industries, someof the most promising applications of the technology lie in the field of supply chainmanagement and logistics, distributed manufacturing (e.g. 3D-printing), as well asthe Internet of Things (IoT). R&D departments might be able to use the technologyas a way to defend intellectual property, similar to how they could use a notaryservice. Blockchain enabled 3D-printing might also be of interest in the case of lowproduction volume samples and prototypes.