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Blockchain Design

Designing a Blockchain SCM Solution for the Precious Metals Industry

Blockchain technology is revolutionising the way supply chains operate in various industries, including the precious metals sector. Blockchain is a distributed ledger system that records transactions in a secure, transparent, and immutable way. By integrating blockchain with IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence), supply chain participants can track the origin, quality, and movement of precious metals from the mine to the end user, as well as optimise their operations, reduce costs, and enhance sustainability.

One example of how blockchain, IoT, and AI can work together to improve the precious metals supply chain is the Responsible Sourcing Blockchain Network (RSBN), a consortium of companies that aims to create an ethical and traceable source of cobalt, a key metal used in batteries for electric vehicles.

RSBN uses IoT devices to capture data such as GPS location, temperature, and humidity at each stage of the cobalt supply chain, from the artisanal mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the smelters and refiners in Europe and Asia. This data is then recorded on a blockchain platform powered by IBM, which provides a shared and verifiable record of the cobalt's journey. AI algorithms are used to analyse the data and provide insights into the supply chain performance, such as identifying bottlenecks, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

Blockchain, IoT, and AI are transforming the precious metals supply chain by providing greater visibility, efficiency, and trust among the stakeholders. These technologies can help the industry meet the growing demand for precious metals while ensuring compliance with environmental and social standards.

Record Transaction

One of the main elements is to design a blockchain software tool that integrates IoT and AI for the precious metals industry supply chain is to record transaction data from IoT devices on a blockchain. This can help to capture extremely detailed decentralised data and verify that transaction records are authentic. Blockchain technology can also bring transparency, reliability, scalability, and traceability to the supply chain, allowing companies to track the movement and origin of precious metals from mining to refining to retail.

Analyze Data

Another main element is to use AI to analyse the data collected by IoT devices and optimise the supply chain performance. AI can help to understand the relationships among different variables, provide visibility into operations, and support better decision making. AI can also enable integrated end-to-end planning that can balance trade-offs across functions and optimise profitability for the whole organisation.

Security & Sustainability

A third main element is to ensure the security and sustainability of the blockchain software tool. This means protecting the data from unauthorised access or tampering, as well as minimising the environmental impact of the blockchain network and the precious metals supply chain. This can involve using permissioned blockchains that restrict participation to known supply chain partners, adopting data standards and governance rules, and implementing green solutions such as renewable energy sources or carbon offsets.


Elements Required in the EMCO Network Software Tool

By following the following guidelines, we are able to create a blockchain software tool that can optimise the efficiency, security, sustainability, and profitability of the precious metals industry supply chain.

The first element is to define the scope and objectives of the blockchain software tool. What are the pain points and challenges that the precious metals industry faces in its supply chain? What are the benefits and value propositions that blockchain can offer to address these issues? For example, some of the common problems in the precious metals supply chain are lack of traceability, fraud, theft, counterfeiting, environmental impact, and regulatory compliance. Blockchain can provide solutions such as provenance tracking, authentication, smart contracts, sustainability reporting, and audit-ability.

The design of the EMCO Network blockchain software for supply chain management in the precious metals industry will include the following main modules:

This module would be responsible for recording all transactions in the supply chain. These can include the properties of the product, transfer locations, actors involved in supply chain transactions, and adherence to responsible production standards linked to all of the above.

Blockchain's immutability is leveraged in this module, securely recording all transactions involving precious metals. Cryptographic hash function, such as SHA-256, is used to generate a unique hash for each block of transactions, which is stored in the block header along with timestamp and other block metadata.

In the block body, a list of transactions is stored. Each transaction includes the sender's and receiver's public keys, the amount of precious metal being transferred, and a digital signature generated using the sender's private key. The Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) or a similar algorithm is utilised to generate and verify the digital signatures.

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