Blockchain technology in supply chain operations: Applications, challenges and research opportunities

Area of Science:

• Information Technology
• Supply Chain Management
• Business Process Management

Background:

• Blockchain technology offers decentralized structure, distributed storage, and smart contracting for enhanced security and transparency.
• Supply chains (SC) can be transformed by blockchain, improving provenance, reengineering processes, and boosting security.
• Research interest in blockchain integration within SC operations has significantly increased in recent years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze existing research on blockchain integration in supply chain operations.
• To identify key opportunities, societal impacts, current technologies, trends, and challenges in this field.
• To establish a future research agenda for blockchain in SC.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review of 178 articles related to blockchain in supply chains.
• Analysis of research trends, technological advancements, and application areas.
• Identification of challenges and future research directions.

Main Results:

• Blockchain offers significant potential to enhance SC functions like provenance, process management, and security.
• Various industrial sectors including shipping, manufacturing, healthcare, and e-commerce can benefit from blockchain adoption.
• Key trends include enhanced visibility and improved business process management through blockchain.

Conclusions:

• Blockchain integration presents substantial opportunities for revolutionizing supply chain management across diverse industries.
• Addressing identified challenges is crucial for unlocking the full potential of blockchain in SC.
• Further research is needed to build upon the established foundation for blockchain in SC.