At skalex, we’re proud of the companies we work with and the products we’ve built. From time to time, we like to share case studies about our clients and the projects we’re working on. This case study focuses on a Chinese company providing pharmaceutical supply chain solutions.
After a quick design, prototyping, and development timeline, skalex successfully deployed a minimum viable product in less than six months. The supply chain management platform is a set of custom-developed Ethereum smart contracts that work together to emulate the real world supply chain. This blockchain application allows the client to guarantee the authenticity of the drugs it produces. Long term, further stages of development will allow the client to share that information with consumers and regulators to ensure quality standards.
Challenges
The client is in the process of digitizing their supply chain records. Currently, many records in the factory and corporate offices are still kept on paper. The project’s vision is a transformation of their supply chain that takes care of both digitizing records and placing those records on the blockchain in one fell swoop.
Of course this presents many challenges, but it’s also an opportunity to design and implement a blockchain solution purely from scratch. The client considered a long list of ten candidate blockchain development companies. After due diligence, that list narrowed to two candidates. Following interviews and business meetings where skalex consultants shared their approach and past success stories, the client selected skalex as their pilot partner for the first stage of development.
Process
skalex’s consultants visited China to gain an in-depth understanding of the supply chain and needs. There, they met with the company’s executives, toured the factory floor, and learned about the various stages of the pharmaceutical supply chain. Various compliance and quality experts throughout the manufacturing process have to sign off on each stage of fabrication. As a result, skalex’s developers recommended an Ethereum smart contract-based approach where assets can be managed autonomously and approvals added to blockchain records.
Throughout the development process, skalex’s consultants worked with experts from one of the top universities in Hong Kong and the local government to make sure the supply chain met best practices and compliance standards. Eventually, the client hopes to implement internet of things (IoT) functionality to this blockchain system, allowing sensors to automate the work of verification while also being more accurate and real time than human inspectors.
Results
After fact finding and initial considerations, skalex’s developers began work on the initial product in January 2018. A little over a month later, in February 2018, skalex shared the initial working product with the client. This fast turnaround time for custom blockchain development is a hallmark of skalex’s agile and results-oriented approach. Work on phase two of the project is currently in the proposal stage.
The basic infrastructure skalex created will eventually expand to include many integrations, partners, and services. The client hopes this custom blockchain pharmaceutical supply chain will serve as an access point for at least three major stakeholders. First, the company itself and its partners will be able to review the supply chain in real time and quickly identify any issues or bottlenecks. Second, pharmaceutical purchasers will be able to track the provenance of the drugs they buy to confirm their authenticity. Finally, the regional and national Chinese government will be able to access a digital version of the company’s supply chain, greatly reducing the need for in-person inspections and other forms of oversight.
