伯納德?馬爾

Managing todays supply chains—all the links to creating and distributing goods—is extraordinarily complex. Depending on the product， the supply chain can span over hundreds of stages， multiple geographical （international） locations， a multitude of invoices and payments， have several individuals and entities involved， and extend over months of time. Due to the complexity and lack of transparency of our current supply chains， there is interest in how blockchains might transform the supply chain and logistics industry.

How is the supply chain broken？

Our current supply chain is broken in several ways. Over a hundred years ago， supply chains were relatively simple because commerce was local， but they have grown incredibly complex. Throughout the history of supply chains there have been innovations such as the shift to haul freight via trucks rather than rail or the emergence of personal computers in the 1980s that led to dramatic shifts in supply chain management. Since manufacturing has been globalised， our supply chains are heavy with their own complexity.

Its incredibly difficult for customers or buyers to truly know the value of products because there is a significant lack of transparency in our current system. In a similar way， its extremely difficult to investigate supply chains when there is suspicion of illegal or unethical practices. They can also be highly inefficient as vendors and suppliers try to connect the dots on who needs what， when and how.

What is blockchain and how could it help supply chains？

While the most prominent use of blockchain is in the cryptocurrency， Bitcoin， the reality is that blockchain—essentially a distributed， digital ledger—has many applications and can be used for any exchange， agreements/contracts， tracking and， of course， payment. Its highly secure since every block links to the one before it and after it. There is not one central authority over the blockchain， and its extremely efficient and scalable. Ultimately， blockchain can increase the efficiency and transparency of supply chains and positively impact everything from warehousing to delivery to payment. Chain of command is essential for many things， and blockchain has the chain of command built in.

The very things that are necessary for reliability and integrity in a supply chain are provided by blockchain. Blockchain provides consensus—there is no dispute in the chain regarding transactions because all entities on the chain have the same version of the ledger. Everyone on the blockchain can see the chain of ownership for an asset on the blockchain. Records on the blockchain cannot be erased， which is important for a transparent supply chain.

Examples of blockchain being used in supply chains today

Since blockchains allow for transfer of funds anywhere in the world without the use of a traditional bank， its very convenient for a supply chain that is globalized. Thats exactly how Australian vehicle manufacturer Tomcar pays its suppliers—through Bitcoin.

In the food industry， its imperative to have solid records to trace each product to its source. So， Walmart uses blockchain to keep track of its pork it sources from China and the blockchain records where each piece of meat came from， processed， stored and its sell-by-date. Unilever， Nestle， Tyson and Dole also use blockchain for similar purposes.

BHP Billiton， the worlds largest mining firm， announced it will use blockchain to better track and record data throughout the mining process with its vendors. Not only will it increase efficiency internally， but it allows the company to have more effective communication with its partners.

The transparency of blockchain is also crucial to allow consumers to know they are supporting companies who they share the same values of environmental stewardship and sustainable manufacturing. This is what the project Provenance hopes to provide with its blockchain record of transparency.

Diamond-giant De Beers uses blockchain technology to track stones from the point they are mined right up to the point when they are sold to consumers. This ensures the company avoids ‘conflict or ‘blood diamonds1 and assures the consumers that they are buying the genuine article.

There are several supply chain startups such as Cloud Logistics who saw an opportunity to provide blockchain-enabled supply chain solutions to improve efficiencies and reduce costs for the massive supply chain industry. More will most certainly join them as they realize the potential and demand for blockchain-enabled solutions to transform the supply chain and logistics industry.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?■

現(xiàn)在的供應(yīng)鏈涵蓋從產(chǎn)品制造到分銷(xiāo)的所有環(huán)節(jié)，管理起來(lái)極其復(fù)雜。依據(jù)產(chǎn)品類(lèi)別，供應(yīng)鏈可以包含數(shù)以百計(jì)的步驟，跨越（不同國(guó)別的）多個(gè)地點(diǎn)，需要多次處理交易票據(jù)和支付事宜，許多人或單位參與其中，往往會(huì)歷時(shí)數(shù)月之久。當(dāng)今的供應(yīng)鏈非常復(fù)雜，透明度也不高，因此，區(qū)塊鏈將會(huì)如何改變供應(yīng)鏈和物流業(yè)引發(fā)了關(guān)注。

供應(yīng)鏈出現(xiàn)了哪些變化？

當(dāng)今的供應(yīng)鏈已經(jīng)在若干方面發(fā)生變化。一百多年前，商業(yè)活動(dòng)局限在某一區(qū)域，因此供應(yīng)鏈相對(duì)簡(jiǎn)單。時(shí)至今日，供應(yīng)鏈已經(jīng)變得十分復(fù)雜。供應(yīng)鏈發(fā)展歷史上曾經(jīng)出現(xiàn)多次革新，比如，卡車(chē)運(yùn)輸取代了鐵路運(yùn)輸;20世紀(jì)80年代個(gè)人電腦出現(xiàn)，又給供應(yīng)鏈管理帶來(lái)了翻天覆地的變化。由于制造業(yè)的全球化，供應(yīng)鏈自身充滿(mǎn)復(fù)雜性。

現(xiàn)有供應(yīng)鏈系統(tǒng)極度不透明，客戶(hù)或買(mǎi)家很難真正了解產(chǎn)品的價(jià)值。同樣，出現(xiàn)疑似違法或不道德行為時(shí)，對(duì)供應(yīng)鏈展開(kāi)調(diào)查也極為困難。另外，每當(dāng)經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商和供應(yīng)商試圖將客戶(hù)、產(chǎn)品、交易時(shí)間以及供貨方式這些因素串聯(lián)起來(lái)，現(xiàn)有的供應(yīng)鏈也會(huì)顯得極為低效。

何為區(qū)塊鏈？區(qū)塊鏈會(huì)如何改善供應(yīng)鏈現(xiàn)狀？

區(qū)塊鏈主要應(yīng)用于加密貨幣，即比特幣，但事實(shí)上，其本質(zhì)為一個(gè)分布式數(shù)字賬本，具有多種用途，可以適用于任何形式的交易、協(xié)議/合同，以及產(chǎn)品追蹤，當(dāng)然，支付環(huán)節(jié)也不例外。它安全可靠，因?yàn)槊恳粎^(qū)塊都鏈接到其前后區(qū)塊。區(qū)塊鏈中沒(méi)有中心化的權(quán)威機(jī)構(gòu)，因此還具備高效性和可擴(kuò)展性。總而言之，區(qū)塊鏈可以提高供應(yīng)鏈的效率，增強(qiáng)其透明度，為其從倉(cāng)儲(chǔ)、運(yùn)輸再到支付的所有環(huán)節(jié)帶來(lái)積極變化。很多情況下指揮鏈不可或缺，而區(qū)塊鏈具有內(nèi)置的指揮鏈。

區(qū)塊鏈?zhǔn)沟霉?yīng)鏈必備的可靠性和完整性有了保障。區(qū)塊鏈實(shí)現(xiàn)了數(shù)據(jù)同步——因?yàn)殒湕l上的所有實(shí)體共用同一分類(lèi)賬簿，所以各類(lèi)交易不會(huì)存在爭(zhēng)議。區(qū)塊鏈上的每個(gè)人都可以看到資產(chǎn)的所有權(quán)鏈。區(qū)塊鏈上的記錄無(wú)法擦除，這對(duì)確保供應(yīng)鏈的透明性極其重要。

目前區(qū)塊鏈在供應(yīng)鏈中的應(yīng)用實(shí)例

區(qū)塊鏈無(wú)須通過(guò)傳統(tǒng)的銀行系統(tǒng)，即可在世界任何地方進(jìn)行資金轉(zhuǎn)移，這對(duì)全球化的供應(yīng)鏈來(lái)說(shuō)非常便利。澳大利亞汽車(chē)制造商湯姆卡恰恰借此優(yōu)勢(shì)，用比特幣向其供應(yīng)商付款。

在食品行業(yè)，追蹤每一產(chǎn)品的來(lái)源并且留下可靠記錄是至關(guān)重要的。因此，沃爾瑪使用區(qū)塊鏈技術(shù)跟蹤其從中國(guó)采購(gòu)的豬肉，區(qū)塊鏈記錄了每塊肉的產(chǎn)地、加工方式、儲(chǔ)藏方式以及保質(zhì)期。聯(lián)合利華、雀巢、泰森食品和都樂(lè)食品也運(yùn)用區(qū)塊鏈技術(shù)進(jìn)行食品溯源。

全球最大采礦企業(yè)必和必拓已經(jīng)宣布，將運(yùn)用區(qū)塊鏈技術(shù)，與經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商一起，更加密切地跟蹤并記錄整個(gè)采礦過(guò)程中的數(shù)據(jù)。這樣不僅可以提高內(nèi)部效率，而且可以改進(jìn)公司與其合作伙伴的溝通效果。

區(qū)塊鏈公開(kāi)透明，能夠讓客戶(hù)獲知，他們正支持在環(huán)境管理和可持續(xù)制造方面與自己擁有相同價(jià)值理念的公司，這一點(diǎn)至關(guān)重要。這也是“溯源”計(jì)劃提供區(qū)塊鏈透明度記錄的目的所在。

鉆石巨擘戴比爾斯運(yùn)用區(qū)塊鏈技術(shù)，對(duì)鉆石進(jìn)行全程追蹤——從開(kāi)采開(kāi)始，直至賣(mài)到顧客手中。這樣可以確保公司不會(huì)出現(xiàn)“沖突鉆石”或“血腥鉆石”，也能確保消費(fèi)者買(mǎi)到正品。

云物流等供應(yīng)鏈初創(chuàng)公司發(fā)現(xiàn)了這一商機(jī)。他們意識(shí)到對(duì)于大型供應(yīng)鏈產(chǎn)業(yè)而言，將區(qū)塊鏈應(yīng)用于供應(yīng)鏈可以提高效率、降低成本。一旦人們認(rèn)識(shí)到運(yùn)用區(qū)塊鏈改變供應(yīng)鏈和物流業(yè)的潛力和需求，肯定還會(huì)有更多人參與其中。? ? ? ? ? □

（譯者單位：中央民族大學(xué)）