Supply Chain Visibility Ledger

Improved situational awareness, also known as Supply Chain Visibility, contributes to better decisions with the ability to synchronize processes and reduce costs. It requires data sharing by events of for instance positions, speed, and direction of vessels, trucks, barges, and trains, and Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) and – Departure (ETD) of these transport means. Whereas the data structure is called ‘event’, the progress of the physical processes is expressed by ‘milestones’. These milestones are related to (groups of) physical objects, modelled as Digital Twins. Groups of Digital Twins are those that are offered at a given time and place for transport and have to be available together at another time and place, also called shipment or consignment. Such shipments and consignments are uniquely identifiable between a customer and Logistics Service Provider; Digital Twins of different or the same shipment(s) can be regrouped into other shipments. Based on this Digital Twin approach and business transactions representing shipments or consignments, this paper presents a Supply Chain Visibility Ledger propagating events with milestones.