MHI has partnered with the College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) to re-release a white paper titled "Blockchain and Supply Chain Management".

The paper explores the idea that while the potential impact of blockchain on supply chain management could be enormous, many of the potential blockchain-enabled supply chain impacts will require significant research advances.

The paper notes that blockchain is "a more effective component of financial systems than of many physical systems, although we should point out that some authors even question the value of blockchain in a financial context".

Authors say while blockchain has the potential to reduce costs and expedite supply chain tasks, "these are hardly path-breaking changes to current supply chain operations".

Despite raising a number of concerns about the adoption of blockchain in materials handling, the report is optimistic about the future of pure blockchain-enabled supply chains.

"MHI's partnership with CICMHE is a wonderful educational resource for materials handling, supply chain, and logistics professionals. Companies gain access to cutting-edge research that can aid in decision-making for their company alongside insight in the curriculum that is being taught to their incoming workers," says John Paxton, COO of MHI. "We're very excited to see what we can accomplish together in the future."

The mission of the College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) is to increase awareness, understanding, exploration and development of materials handling and logistics through fostering and nurturing high-value projects and events.

To view the white paper, use this link for a direct download.