Blockchain: the Future of the Routing Slip

Many people are familiar with the term “blockchain” from digital currency (e.g., bitcoin). But the technology is becoming even more relevant in process control. So it’s a good thing that the automation specialists at ROBUR AUTOMATION (formerly APE Engineering) are already hard at work on this.

Despite there being many promising studies and tests, the topic of blockchain is only the focus of very few customers, says Dr. Michael Kröhn, Head of Research and Development at ROBUR AUTOMATION. “For many medium-sized companies, IoT (Internet of Things), the networking of our machines has not really caught on yet. It’s not surprising that blockchain isn’t playing a major role either.”

For all of you not working with IT innovations day in and day out, here’s a brief classification. The “Internet of Things” is about networking a wide array of devices with one another. When used in machines, remote monitoring and control are made possible. When used together with smart monitoring systems, upkeep and maintenance can be implemented in a more targeted fashion, or in other words, as predictive maintenance. In combination with artificial intelligence (AI), such systems become even smarter.

If machines are now connected to the internet, they could in theory also automatically put in orders for “new supplies” in the production chain. Just like the often described example of the smart fridge ordering milk and eggs when supplies run low. From a legal point of view, these automated orders can be deemed as contracts and are described by professionals as “smart contracts.” And this is exactly where it makes sense to use “blockchain” technology.

If we think of the blockchain as a kind of tamper-proof routing slip, then it’s a perfect use case. It allows for processes or, more aptly, the transfer of data (blocks, for data sets) in series (chains) to be reliably documented. The idea behind it is just as simple as it is brilliant. Every time a new entry is made in our routing slip, it is copied millions of times over and distributed throughout the entire company. If somebody wants to “correct” the entry, they would then have to “swap out” millions of routing slips without being noticed and hope that no other entry with millions of copies exists somewhere else too. It’s difficult to imagine that this could ever work, right? And that’s precisely why blockchain technology is so reliable and is also used to “print” digital currencies such as bitcoin.

The technology also has some downsides though. Firstly, there are few experts on the subject and tried-and-tested applications available. Secondly, it is very resource-hungry in terms of computing capacity. That’s why considerable thought should be given to where it makes sense to implement blockchain routing slips in processes and where it doesn’t. Resource issues will also become less important with the next generation of computers. The many advantages of blockchain clearly speak in favor of it when it comes to safeguarding process data.

In any case, Dr Kröhn’s team is convinced that blockchain is an extremely important technology of the future and has already begun experimenting with the many ways it can be used. “I can only advise every manager to at least fundamentally look into whether blockchain could be an issue for them in the future. And if so, to work on specific application scenarios. Because if they don’t do it, a competitor surely will and the one that has already mastered the technology will win in the end.

A tip for everyone who wants to know more: Dr. Kröhn has compiled a detailed article on the possible uses of blockchain technology in process data management. It can be found on LinkedIn . You can get in touch with him at any time.

Automotive

Building Materials

Chemicals

Data Center

Food & Beverage

Gas & Fuel

Glass

Healthcare & Cosmetics

Hydrogen

Infrastructure

LNG

Mechanical

Nuclear

Paper

Pharmaceuticals

Power & Storage

Logistics, Transportation & Public Transport

Water

Wind & Solar

Goal Achievement

Use of Resources

Social Responsibility

Corporate Governance

Targets

Blockchain: the Future of the Routing Slip

Who would you like to contact?

Gabriele Hetzner

Olaf Becker

Cristobal Lopez

Mark Oliver Passauer

Maik Voss

Manfred Hirt

Thorsten Kulik

Thomas Neudorfer

René Auringer

Kevin Crowley

Norbert Pfitzner

Fabian Strahl

Thorsten Nilles

Thomas Gröne

Justin Jones

Martin Skladal

Uwe Harlacher

Robert Klöpper

Tommy Füllner

Silvia Kraus-Besendorf

Stefan Besendorf

Roland Schuldt

Manuel Kunert

Thomas Mannecke

Jan-Jörg Müller-Seiler

Tobias Gärtner

Roland Schuldt

Sebastian Albrecht

Amar Reddy

Javier Amelivia

Tim Petersen

Stefanie Weber

Jean-Philippe Enzer

Ernesto Mora

Marc Bogenstahl

Stefan Stemmle

Sascha Dilger

Maren Bögel

Mark Jansen

Rowan Doorduin

Thomas Gröne

Karsten Ott

Marina Günther

May we help you?

Our Newsletter