The research project SiLKe was brought to an end during the final project meeting. The consortium and the project sponsor met in Aachen in the Cluster Smart Logistics and presented the results of the project’s work packages. The final highlight was the presentation of the developed software demonstrator of the SiLKe solution by demonstrating how food supply chains can be recorded in the blockchain and mapped digitally in a user-friendly way.

We would like to thank all partners involved for their cooperation.

On April 26, what is likely to be the last working meeting of the SiLKe project took place virtually. The FIR presented a concept for analyzing the acceptance of blockchain-based software applications. This concept aims to support users in evaluating the acceptance of the developed solutions in their own companies. It also enables the initiation of targeted measures to increase acceptance. In addition, the consortium discussed how the demonstrator could be integrated into workshops to introduce potential users to the SiLKe platform.

Entering the final stages of the research project, on November 30th, the consortium conducted a workshop as a part of work package 6. The FIR presented a framework for the evaluation of the utility and cost associated with the SiLKe-platform. This framework aims to aid companies in assessing the potential implications of employing the solutions developed throughout the research project before significant investment. After the presentation, the consortium discussed the framework and conducted a test run based on the insights gathered so far.

On October 5th, 2021, another virtual consortium meeting of the project SiLKe with the project sponsor VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH took place. The consortium presented the project’s current developments regarding the work packages 3 to 7. Among other results, the current prototype of the SiLKe application was shown via live demonstration. Furthermore, the current results on Use Case 1 of the testing and validation phase as well as the jointly developed general concept for the demonstrator, still to be developed, were presented.

The twelfth meeting took place on 18.08. and was held online. The focus was on the current status of the validation with the partners in AP5 and the discussion of the further procedure as well as other potential use cases. Another focus was on a further workshop regarding the demonstrator. This time, the goal was the concept’s finalization, which had been worked out in cooperation of the FIR and the consortium partners involved in the development. In this workshop, the concept was presented to the entire consortium and then discussed together.

On June 29, 2021, a consortium meeting with the project sponsor VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH as well as the eleventh working meeting of the research project SiLKe took place via web meeting. In the morning, the consortium presented the current status of all work packages which already started to the project executing organization. Among other things, the SiLKe desktop application and a possible visualization of the supply chains were demonstrated live. In addition, the first results of the two use cases were presented, which will be used to validate the project results in the demonstrator. In the subsequent working meeting at noon, a workshop was held to finalize the process and attribute list for piloting the solution. In addition, the handling of analysis reports in the blockchain solution was discussed.

On May 11, the tenth meeting took place in digital form as usual. In addition to a discussion round regarding the development of the demonstrator, the workshops on the visualization concept and the economic analysis were the central topics of the meeting. In the workshop on visualization, initial concepts from FZI and PSI were presented and discussed. The workshop on economic analysis (work package 6) dealt with the cost/benefit categorization of the project for companies. Finally, there was a demonstration of the current development status on the part of FIT and FZI.

On March 23, we arranged the 9th online meeting of the research project SiLKe. In the morning, we presented the current state of all running work packages to our project sponsor, VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH. An early running version of the SiLKe desktop application was presented live. The interaction with the first SiLKe smart contract was demonstrated in a video. The specification of two use cases for the SiLKe platform in food supply chains was fleshed out. These use cases will be used as settings for the main prototype to validate our project findings and prototypical implementations. In the afternoon, we updated our planned series of interviews with associated partners as well as public agencies in food safety based on our recent findings. Finally, we initiated the work package on profitability and acceptance analysis in a dedicated kickoff workshop.

Our eighth project meeting on February 9th engaged a variety of topics. On the one hand, development concepts and substantiated planning schedules for the remaining project term were presented and discussed. The consortium designed and agreed on a comprehensive project schedule, including specifications of time-phased development states and milestones. On the other hand, the technical contents of the running work package 4 were spotlighted. More precisely, the consortium discussed the emerging concept for selective data permissions, which focuses on the logic of data clearance for both regular and emergency procedures while securing food and data integrity. Furthermore, the issue of digital representation of food security checks and responsible authorities within SiLKe was considered. To conclude the topics of the mentioned work package, the conceptual design of alerting rules for early notices of potential needs for action appeared on the agenda. At last, ideas for data input by associated partners, as part of the designated evaluations of the SiLKe blockchain system (work package 5), were presented.

On the 15th of December 2020, the consortium and the associated partners of the research project SiLKe as well as other interested company representatives came together again for an information and project meeting. In addition to the presentation and discussion of the project and the progress of the last months, relevant input was developed in interactive workshops. Thus, important company requirements regarding the mapping of recalls and withdrawals could be included. In addition, the topic of cost effectiveness and acceptance analysis as well as a reliability index for supply chains were discussed. The results of the workshop were reviewed and discussed in an internal meeting of the consortium and included in the further work plan of the project.

We would like to thank all participants for their participation, interesting contributions and constructive suggestions!

On the morning of November, 30, the digital milestone meeting for the project’s mid-term took place. In addition to the contributions by the individual partners of the consortium, the current state of work was presented here jointly in consolidated form. We are pleased to announce that the project executing organization VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH has declared the milestone scheduled for the halfway point of the project as passed and thus we are clear to continue the project!

In the afternoon, the 7th working meeting of the consortium took place, virtual as usual, which started with the discussion of the current state of the conceptual design of our comprehensive blockchain system. Furthermore, the kick-off of work package 5 was on the agenda, in which we will evaluate and test the SiLKe platform and related applications. Finally, the workshop with associated partners and other interested parties scheduled for 15.12.2020 was prepared.

The sixth project meeting took place again in a digital way, which has become routine to our consortium and does not limit productivity. Concerning the use of a blockchain technology in food chains, important results have been presented and discussed. The project partners agreed on Hyperledger Sawtooth as the underlying blockchain infrastructure for SiLKe and on smart contracts, which may create benefits for the platform. These components were incorporated into the overall system architecture. Furthermore, the kick-off of work package 4, in which SiLKe applications with corresponding analytics and visualization components will be developed, was on the agenda. The results obtained in the last months form a profound basis for the upcoming prototypic implementation of the holistic SiLKe platform. We are already looking forward to the first versions to click and wow!

On May, 27, a digital meeting of all project partners and the project executing organization VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH took place. First, all project SiLKe results obtained since last November have been summarized. The consortium thanks GS1 Germany for preparing and presenting a second white paper, dealing with transferring existing traceability procedures to a blockchain-based system. Afterwards, the project partners collected and discussed important aspects of handling sensitive data in a blockchain system, and the third work package was kicked off. To take the special working conditions of all participants into account, possible effects of the current Corona pandemic on the future progress of the project have been thematized. Regardless, all project partners push the development of the SiLKe-platform. We are looking forward to presenting the first executable results!

The fourth meeting took place in the anxious times of physical distancing due to the Corona pandemic. Holding the workshop digitally did not stop the project partners from performing the next important steps with regard to the development of the SiLKe platform. The requirements analysis has been finalized and first results on a data model and on how to manage access rights and accounts have been discussed. A systems architecture needs to be well-conceived and we stay focused!

In the first issue of 2020, the journal ‘Frischelogistik’ introduced project SiLKe to its readers and provided us with the opportunity to publish first results. The article can be found here: https://www.frischelogistik.com/rueckverfolgbarkeit-durch-blockchain/

Enjoy reading!

On 03.12.2019, the SiLKe consortium, associated partners and interested agents from food supply and logistics companies came together at the Zentralfachschule der deutschen Süßwarenwirtschaft e.V. in Solingen. Under the heading ‘Requirements to a blockchain solution in food traceability’, the concepts developed in SiLKe have been discussed with regard to practical applicability and cumulated answers of the interviews have been presented. The results of the workshop have been summarized integrated into the ongoing work schedule by the project partners on 04.12.2019.

We wish to thank all participants for their interesting presentations, fruitful discussions and helpful comments!

For the third workshop, the project partners met in Bonn at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology (FIT) together with representatives of the project execution organization. The meeting included the presentation of the current results and the kickoff of the second work package. The reference model has been finalized and the reference architecture, to be developed in the ongoing project, has been substantiated through subgoals and a common proceeding. Let’s work this out!

Our partner fTRACE invited all partners for a meeting and discussions on the current results of the requirements analysis to Cologne. On the premises of GS1 Germany, the consortium got the chance to experience the latest innovations related to the digitalization of grocery shopping.

The first meeting in Project SiLKe held at the Research Center for Information Technologies (FZI) in Karlsruhe involved the concretization of the reference model, which serves as the basis to generically describe food supply chains and to setup a common vocabulary. Additionally, we discussed data requirements of a digital SiLKe platform with regard to traceability, risk analytics and targeted alerting and started with the preparation of a questionnaire concerning existing internal traceability systems and data sharing for associated SiLKe-partners.

On June 12th, the time had come! With the official kickoff meeting, we started Project SiLKe with drive and the spirit of innovation. Representatives of all seven project partners, the project execution organization (VDI) and two subcontracted companies came together at the Institute for Industrial Management (FIR) in Aachen, Germany. After going through the organizational setup in the morning, workshops with discussions on the first work package, the requirements analysis, took place in the afternoon.