CIIF, blockchain and reverse logistics

In September2019, I cooperated with a university(Professor HaoHao's team) to participate in the Shanghai Industry Fair. The project I participated in was an unmanned supermarket scene.

Unmanned supermarket

At the time, we didn't know that such a tragic black swan event would happen in the next year. The non-contact new retail model of unmanned supermarkets is very helpful to on anti-covid19.

The scene displayed at the CIIF is this:

Each visitor can choose the goods they want to buy in the WeChat mall. These commodities are so-called warehouse-buy commodities, such as soaps and hand creams.

Once an orde ris placed in the WeChat mall, the smart robotic arm will use artificial intelligence technology to automatically identify and take out the required goods from the material box and deliver it to the user.

If the material box is empty, the AGV trolley will automatically go to the shelf to carry the new material box.

During the entire sales process, quality inspection, sales, and carbon emissions are automatically recorded on the blockchain.

Reverse logistics is involved here, so what is the value of reverse logistics?

Compared with traditional forward logistics, reverse logistics is still a cost center. What I want to say is that this is quite similar to the status of IT. Any company that values reverse logistics can not only get benefits from it, but also tap the fifth source of profit for reverse logistics, and at the same time, it can effectively enhance its reputation and achieve a leap from Trash to Cash.

Let’s talk about an example. Take the clothing industry as an example, with the rise of e-commerce and Internet+ in recent years, returns are often caused by various reasons. A considerable part of the returned goods contains value. Customers often return the goods because they bought it too much or simply because they don’t like the style, while other customers may like it. Or some clothes are returned due to lack of buttons. Seller can benefit from reverse logistics, and thus exploring a blue ocean.

Blockchain

Apple's refurbished machine is a classic case of reverse logistics. The digitization of assets can be achieved through tokens. For example, the asset category and device ID of Apple refurbished machines can be recorded on the blockchain. It is also possible to upload qualified certification marks, official refurbished certification information, and data erasure confirmation information on the blockchain. When the user purchases a refurbished machine, he can scan the QR code to view the information on the chain.

Similarly, for unmanned supermarkets,warehouse-buy goods can also be recorded on the blockchain, e.g. the product number, product type, carbon emission savings, and the quality certification test. Meanwhile, the user makes an order, the smart robotic arm catches the goods, and the goods are shipped, all these behaviors will also be automatically recorded on blockchain.

The following is the prompt informationthat you can see on your mobile phone after the order is successfully placed,such as carbon savings (80.7 grams).

For other participants in the supply chain,they can see richer content, such as the storage time, outgoing time,inspection and other related information of this product.