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Mental block over the blockchain

[ January 13, 2017   //   ]

Around a quarter of respondents to a new supply chain survey said they were not familiar with the concept of the ‘Blockchain’ although around half of them are actively exploring its potential, with many of them looking at investing in it.

According to Eye for Transport’s ‘Supply Chain Hot Trends, published on 11 January, there are a number of start-up companies looking to use the technology to solve critical challenges such as improving payment systems or transferring and verifying shipping documentation. However, the report adds that while the Blockchain concept is being explored and even implemented in areas such as banking, it is still in a very basic state when it comes to the supply chain.

The EfT survey also explored other areas of the supply chain including recruitment. It found that 68% of respondents had had some difficulty in recruiting talent. One of the main areas of shortfall was operations (26%) followed by software development and engineering (20%). Some 19% had had problems finding people to fulfill leadership roles.

The survey also considered attitudes to globalisation. Just over half of respondents thought that there was an anti-globalisation movement afoot, and even those that did not said that global trade was slowing because of economic instability and an increase in protectionist attitudes.

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