IBM & Hejia Launch Blockchain Supply Chain platform

THe solution is for pharmaceutical procurement in China

IBM and Sichuan Hejia in China are launching a Blockchain based supply chain financial services platform for pharmaceutical procurement to improve efficiency, transparency, and operation of supply chain finance. Already the permission based Blockchain is in production with Hejia, a pharmaceutical retailer, a hospital and a bank running business transactions. By July the platform will include multiple pharmaceutical retailers, hospitals and banks.

By tracking drugs through the supply chain and encrypting trading records, the transparency of the blockchain can help establish the authenticity of the transaction. In turn, this may help lower the credit risk profiled by financing institutions, which should allow the payment period to be shortened, possibly to the first or next trading day. Overall, the platform is designed to help to reduce the turnover time of funds on both sides of the supply chain and allow banks to be more informed and grant access to funding for small and medium pharmaceutical retailers.

Mr. Leng Tianhui, Board Chairman of Hejia, said, "The launch of the supply chain financial services platform marks a milestone for the cooperation between Hejia and IBM on the innovative application of blockchain technology. In the future, the platform will expand to include more industries to provide participating companies and financial institutions with transparent and efficient financing services built on blockchain-based innovation in a business model that will contribute to China’s economic development."

"IBM offers an enterprise-grade blockchain platform built on the Hyperledger Fabric that helps clients define and develop new industry use cases,” said Gregor Pillen, Managing Partner, IBM Greater China Group Global Business Services. “We have a deep understanding of various industries and leading technologies that we use to help resolve enterprise clients’ business challenges while finding growth opportunities so that they can help contribute to China's economic transformation.”