Toward open manufacturing

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a cross-enterprises framework to achieve a higher level of sharing of knowledge and services in manufacturing ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach The authors describe the development of the emerging open manufacturing and discuss the model of knowledge creation processes of manufacturers. The authors present a decentralized framework based on blockchain and edge computing technologies, which consists of a customer layer, an enterprise layer, an application layer, an intelligence layer, a data layer, and an infrastructure layer. And a case study is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the framework. Findings The authors discuss that the manufacturing ecosystem is changing from integrated and centralized systems to shared and distributed systems. The proposed framework incorporates the recent development in blockchain and edge computing that can meet the secure and distributed requirements for the sharing of knowledge and services in manufacturing ecosystems. Practical implications The proposed framework provides a more secure and controlled way to share knowledge and services, thereby supports the company to develop scalable and flexible business at a lower cost, and ultimately improves the overall quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of manufacturing services. Originality/value The proposed framework incorporates the recent development in edge computing technologies to achieve a flexible and distributed network. With the blockchain technology, it provides standards and protocols for implementing the framework and ensures the security issues. Not only information can be shared, but the framework also supports in the exchange of knowledge and services so that the parties can contribute their parts.

Digitalizing the Closing-of-the-Loop for Supply Chains: A Transportation and Blockchain Perspective

“…Blockchain technology with its many elements offers opportunities of visibility, through transparency and traceability capabilities, across the supply chain [27] and particularly helps digitalizing the end-of-life supply chain loop closing activities that further support circular economy principles of which RL is critical [28]. Some general RL-blockchain examples include:…”

The Impact of Blockchain Technology Application on Supply Chain Partnership and Performance

“…Therefore, smart contracts in the blockchain can effectively prevent misunderstandings in the implementation and execution of contracts among SC partners, consequently improving the degree of mutual trust [6]. Moreover, the transaction terms and history of the negotiation can be easily shared with trading partners in a reliable form, thereby improving the process efficiency of contract renewal [39]. Li et al [39] noted that partnership terms and promises are initially expressed in digital terms, and then built and stored on blockchain, which provides observability, verifiability, privacy, and enforceability for all involved partners.…”

“…Moreover, the transaction terms and history of the negotiation can be easily shared with trading partners in a reliable form, thereby improving the process efficiency of contract renewal [39]. Li et al [39] noted that partnership terms and promises are initially expressed in digital terms, and then built and stored on blockchain, which provides observability, verifiability, privacy, and enforceability for all involved partners. This digital automation offers an efficient partnership process while enabling a wide range of contractual processes (e.g., partners' review for confirmation or rejection of the initial contract, modification of contractual terms, and signing).…”

“…Such partnership efficiency has been perceived with a positive outlook as it can reduce the degree of variation and uncertainty of information, alleviating the bullwhip effect. For example, BCT-enabled partnership efficiency can create an open manufacturing system environment supporting both the range and depth of information sharing activities among supply network participants [39].…”

Blockchain-based life cycle assessment: An implementation framework and system architecture

“…In recent times, different types of Blockchains are constructed and they include public, consortium, and private Blockchains, which can be adopted in different scenarios (Li et al, 2018a;Li et al, 2018b). Compared with existing information systems, there are four key characteristics in the Blockchain, including decentralization, security, auditability, and smart execution (Saberi et al, 2019).…”