17-10-2017

Industry 4.0 and the Blockchain: the AlmavivA perspective

The Blockchain has scope for application in all markets, especially alongside IoT solutions, from agrifood to public administration, ranging through utilities, transportation, smart communities and Industry 4.0. It allows for the construction of platforms and solutions for tracking and control, certification and storage, anti-fraud and the sharing economy, to name but a few. It also offers an environment conducive to cooperation between multiple actors unknown to each other, thanks to ultra-simplified interoperability between devices and people, transparency of information, very high levels of security and the decentralisation of software components. Blockchain technology, considered by Gartner to be one of the top ten technologies of 2017, is developing strongly in various industries. ZeroUno has investigated its level of maturity for operational solutions in industrial environments and its potential for use in the Industry 4.0 model, starting from AlmavivA’s experience in the field.

"This technology is often identified with the area of financial services, crypto currencies and Bitcoin, but for us it has a more extensive application both in adoption markets and in usage scenarios: AlmavivA has developed DApp, decentralised applications that exploit cutting edge peer-to-peer technologies, and the Blockchain is one of the most important of these“, says Alessandro Mantelli, Head of IoT, Industry 4.0, Mobile & Architecture at AlmavivA. He views this new architectural model as offering a solution to meet the new needs of companies and public bodies.

AlmavivA believes that Industry 4.0 is also one of the areas where the blockchain can make a great contribution, being an ecosystem of interconnected companies who exchange vast amounts of information and need to make secure, fast, automatic transactions between systems, objects, processes and people.

Blockchain is a technology that can support a model of collaboration and the transparent, non-refutable, decentralised exchange of information that can promote this scenario, particularly if Smart Contracts are used; the latter are programmes that constitute contracts between parties and are automatically executable in the face of predetermined events.

Some concrete experiences

AlmavivA is engaged in several projects involving the use of public, private, mixed or "consortium" blockchains, where the information is validated by a limited number of nodes that are accessible to all. An example of a public platform is that applied to traceability in the winemaking industry. It was presented at Vinitaly 2017 in conjunction with AGEA (Agency for Agricultural Subsidies) and MIPAAF (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry). Companies that join the platform will have a solution for the next harvest, ensuring the traceability of the transport of grapes, the winemaking and bottling process, from producer to end consumer.

"Unlike other traceability solutions, including those based on the Blockchain, the MIPAAF-designed version will not add red tape for companies”, explains Alessandro Mantelli. “Instead, it integrates with existing Ministry systems using data already prepared for AGEA; it produces certified information that can complement or replace other data already present and it guarantees the value of the Made in Italy brand and is open to the market – anyone can use the information to create added value for the industry.“

The platform is shared between multiple entities: the grower, the producer, the winemaker, the bottler, the carrier and the large-scale retailer. The result is a secure, unbreachable, distributed and unchangeable register of transactions performed by the actors in the supply chain. In this way, third parties can also create tailored solutions and end users can independently verify the validity of all steps of the wine production and distribution process.

AlmavivA has created a consortium model-based blockchain solution also for the Campania Region I.Ter platform, 2016 winner of the regional innovation award Premio Agende Digitali. I.Ter is a geographic cloud that unifies all the georeferenced databases of the regional offices and entities and also provides tools, data and shared services to citizens, professionals and businesses. It allows complete digitisation of administrative proceedings relating to governance and territorial supervision, ensuring accessibility, transparency and aggregation of information.

With the integration of the IoT component (by means of certain features of the AlmavivA GIOTTO platform) and blockchain technology, any data sent by the on-Board Units of SMA Campania vehicles that monitor the territory is certified and made immutable in a private register, accessible only to Campania regional offices and entities. The possibility remains that the registry can be gradually opened for consultation and integration with other entities, such as the police or the judiciary.

“AlmavivA is investing in the development of these technologies and through its dedicated competence centre is already using them to strengthen and enhance its offer, presenting its clients with solutions that are customised and easily integrated with existing systems", asserts Mantelli.

In conclusion, AlmavivA believes that decentralised applications and the blockchain can find ideal use across all business models based on sharing resources, infrastructure, services and channels.

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