A Case Study for Blockchain in Manufacturing: “FabRec”: A Prototype for Peer-to-Peer Network of Manufacturing Nodes

Abstract

With product customization an emerging business opportunity, organizations must find ways to collaborate and enable sharing of information in an inherently trust-less network. In this paper, we propose -"FabRec": a decentralized approach to handle manufacturing information generated by various organizations using blockchain technology. We propose a system in which a decentralized network of manufacturing machines and computing nodes can enable automated transparency of an organization's capability, third party verification of such capability through a trail of past historic events and automated mechanisms to drive paperless contracts between participants using 'smart contracts'. Our system decentralizes critical information about the manufacturer and makes it available on a peer-topeer network composed of fiduciary nodes to ensure transparency and data provenance through a verifiable audit trail. We present a testbed platform through a combination of manufacturing machines, system-on-chip platforms and computing nodes to demonstrate mechanisms through which a consortium of disparate organizations can communicate through a decentralized network. Our prototype testbed demonstrates the value of computer code residing on a decentralized network for verification of information on the blockchain and ways in which actions can be autonomously initiated in the physical world. This paper intends to expose system elements in preparation for much larger field tests through the working prototype and discusses the future potential of blockchain for manufacturing IT.

Blockchain technology: implications for operations and supply chain management

“…Alternatively, a Proof of Stake (PoS) or Proof of Authority (PoA) could be used, depending on the nature of the blockchain and its permission structure (Angrish et al, 2018). Meanwhile, private blockchains require an invitation and participants must be validated.…”

Blockchain based crowdfunding systems

“…The process to establish consensus in the blockchain network is called mining. Mining is important as it ensures that each data that added into the ledger is immutable and secure [13]. Among popular consensus algorithms include Proof of Work (PoW), Proof of Stake (PoS) and Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT).…”

Distributed Ledger Technology for the systematic Investigation and Reduction of Information Asymmetry in Collaborative Networks

“…Based on their research, we believe that a decentralized negotiation or voting system can be useful for the coordination of information sharing in CNs as well (R8). The literature review also identified a publication in the field of DLT, namely that of Angrish et al [44]. They use a decentralized approach to handle manufacturing information generated by machines and computing nodes of different organizations using Blockchain technology.…”