Blockchain Buzz Fading as Gartner Recognizes 2019 Supply Chainnovators

While Gartner, Inc. recognized “unconventional, innovative and high-impact supply chain initiatives” at its recently concluded Supply Chain Executive Conference, blockchain was conspicuous by its absence.

This should come as scant surprise to most industry observers, however, as Gartner had dismissed most blockchain projects earlier this year “very limited.”

According to Alex Prahan, senior principal research analyst at Gartner, most have remained pilot projects due to a combination of technology immaturity, lack of standards, overly ambitious scope and a misunderstanding of how blockchain could, or should, actually help the supply chain.

“Inevitably,” she concludes, “this is causing the market to experience blockchain fatigue.”

That said, here's the breakdown for leaders in the healthcare, high-tech, industrial manufacturing and consumer/retail sectors.

Healthcare Supply Chainnovators:

Geisinger — Geisinger won the 2019 Healthcare Supply Chainnovator award for its “Fresh Food Farmacy” program to help patients control their diabetes without needing medication. This program provides food-insecure individuals with education, one-on-one support and healthy foods on a weekly basis primarily via its community partner, Central Pennsylvania Food Bank.

Thermo Fisher Scientific — Thermo Fisher Scientific won the 2019 Healthcare Manufacturers, Distributors and Retailers Supply Chainnovator award for its data visibility platform for reconciling performance management across its proliferation of 40+ ERP systems.

High-Tech Manufacturing Supply Chainnovator:

Dell — Dell was recognized for its circular economy initiative that includes creating the first global network of commercial-scale, ocean-bound plastics supply chains. Dell's multimodal approach to this global waste problem is paving unchartered territory — using a circular approach to design while also helping to educate, engage and inspire consumers and other companies to participate. The effort also involves working as a founding member in a cross-industry consortium — NextWave — to intercept and reprocess materials collected from beaches, waterways and coastal areas for use in products and packaging.

Industrial Manufacturing Chainnovator:

Schneider Electric — Schneider Electric won the 2019 Industrial Manufacturing Supply Chainnovator award for its digital transformation initiative that developed workforce competencies required for the manufacturing and supply chain jobs of the future. To date, more than 50 of Schneider's manufacturing locations been converted to smart factories, with plans for a further 100 sites to be converted by the end of 2020.

Consumer/Retail Supply Chainnovators:

Consumer Products: Anheuser Busch InBev — Anheuser Busch InBev won the 2019 Consumer Products Supply Chainnovator award for its unique use of artificial intelligence (AI) to better predict when the filter must be replaced during the beer brewing process. This enabled the brewer to produce higher quality beer in less time with less waste.

Retail: JD.com — JD.com was awarded the 2019 Retail Supply Chainnovator award for its innovative approach to collaboration with Walmart China, which combines JD.com's extensive online logistics capabilities with Walmart China's physical store network to deliver an increasingly integrated experience for their combined customer base, including joint promotions, shared inventory across their respective store and DC networks and a unified last mile delivery offering.

According to Garther these innovations must meet the threshold of being impactful, sustainable, unconventional, collaborative and measurable. So far, blockchain has yet to make the grade.

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