Blockchain in the supply chain

This paper contains a cross-case analysis of 21 feasibility studies on the application of blockchain in 16 companies, performed at two Universities of Applied Sciences as a part of the research SIA-Raak project ‘From hype to reality’ between 2018 and 2020 and the affiliated BlockStart project. The paper analyses the effect of blockchain on the KPIs of the companies, by
inventorying and classifying the KPIs and connecting them with the logistics processes. The research findings show that the main benefits of blockchain for these companies are transparency and traceability, especially in food chain companies. The advice for these companies is to invest in blockchain. Reasons for companies why they do not invest in blockchain are related to preferences for proven technologies. In these situations, it shows that a better business case can be exploited, or companies already trust each other and do not feel the need to secure trust even more. This cross-case analysis is a first attempt to understand the main drivers for blockchain implementation at companies. For future analysis on blockchain feasibility studies, we advise to use a more standardized set of KPIs and the application of a methodology developed during this project to connect the use of blockchain to the companies’ strategies.