Revamping Supply Chain: A Blockchain Web3 Case Study

Source: Dev.to

The Problem

The primary challenge was the lack of transparency and real‑time tracking in traditional supply chains. This led to inefficiencies, increased costs, and diminished trust among stakeholders.

Our Approach

We adopted a Blockchain and Web3 framework to create a decentralized, transparent, and secure supply chain network. This network allows for real‑time tracking of goods and transparent transactions.

Technical Solution with Architecture

Our solution involved creating a decentralized application (DApp) on Ethereum, utilizing smart contracts for executing transactions.

Architecture Diagram:
[Supply Chain Nodes] --(Blockchain)--> [Smart Contracts] --(Web3 API)--> [DApp Interface]

Implementation

Smart Contract for Product Tracking

pragma solidity ^0.6.0;

contract ProductTracker {
    mapping(string => Product) public products;

    struct Product {
        string name;
        string location;
        bool isShipped;
    }

    function addProduct(string memory name, string memory location) public {
        products[name] = Product(name, location, false);
    }

    function markAsShipped(string memory name) public {
        products[name].isShipped = true;
    }
}

Interacting with the Smart Contract through Web3

const Web3 = require('web3');
const web3 = new Web3(Web3.givenProvider || 'ws://some.local-or-remote.node:8546');
const productTrackerABI = [...];
const productTrackerAddress = '...';
const productTrackerContract = new web3.eth.Contract(productTrackerABI, productTrackerAddress);

async function addProduct(name, location) {
  await productTrackerContract.methods.addProduct(name, location).send({ from: 'yourAccount' });
}

Challenges

• Scalability: Handling a growing number of transactions was a significant challenge.
• Interoperability: Ensuring seamless communication between different blockchain networks.

These challenges were addressed by optimizing smart contract code and leveraging off‑chain solutions for scalability.

Results

The implementation of our Blockchain and Web3‑based supply chain solution led to:

• Increased transparency and trust among stakeholders.
• Reduced costs due to improved efficiency.
• Enhanced security of supply chain transactions.

Key Takeaways

• Blockchain and Web3 technologies hold immense potential in modernizing supply chains.
• Addressing scalability and interoperability is crucial for broader adoption.
• Real‑time tracking and transparency can significantly improve supply chain management.