Announced as one of 27 projects to be funded as part of the Irish Government’s €75 million Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF), Exertis SCS will lead the project in collaboration with the Centre for Applied Data Analytics Research (CeADAR) at University College Dublin (UCD) and Dublin based software company, Sonalake.
Commenting on the announcement, Brian Cassidy, Exertis Supply Chain Services IT Director said “our intention is to bring to market a fit for purpose Blockchain platform for the Technology Product Supply Chain within 3 years. This will complement Exertis’ global technology market reach and supply chain expertise, while leveraging the research and implementation experience of CeADAR & Sonalake”.
Among the benefits that this project will bring, will be:
•A shared visibility to orders across the supply chain, from component manufacturer to consumer;
•Detailed product provenance information based on product serial numbers which is key for reducing counterfeit and managing warranty liability;
•Simplified financial reconciliation for promotional rebates;
•Reduced IT integration overhead;
•Vastly improved market analytics across the entire supply chain of a finished technology good.
The DTIF funding will enable Exertis SCS to develop and deploy this disruptive innovative technology on a commercial basis.
According to the Irish Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI), “the fund is a key part of the Government’s ‘Future Jobs’ initiative, a new whole of Government plan to secure Ireland’s economic success, starting in 2019. It is one of the first funds of its type in the world and is aimed at tackling national and global challenges to secure the jobs of the future.”
Announcing the successful projects during a special event at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin on Monday, the Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar said: “the creation of this fund is particularly timely when we consider the vast and rapid technological advancements that are taking place. Today everything is faster, more efficient, and more easily accessible. We must adapt to a future of greater digitalisation and automation. Today’s school children will be employed in jobs and industries that don’t exist yet. Technology will eliminate or transform existing occupations.
We are currently developing a new Plan, the Future Jobs Initiative, to meet these challenges and ensure we assist industry to create and sustain good jobs for our people in light of future challenges and opportunities. The Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund is central to the Future Jobs Programme. It’s our way of stimulating private investment in new technologies and ways of doing business, and building stronger links between higher education, multinationals and Irish SMEs.”