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Block Chain

The document discusses the integration of blockchain technology in the food and beverage industry to enhance transparency and traceability in complex supply chains. It highlights how digital solutions, including IoT and blockchain, can improve food safety, reduce costs during recalls, and meet consumer demands for information about product origins. The use of blockchain allows for tamper-proof tracking and efficient data management, ultimately fostering greater trust between producers and consumers.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
20 views12 pages

Block Chain

The document discusses the integration of blockchain technology in the food and beverage industry to enhance transparency and traceability in complex supply chains. It highlights how digital solutions, including IoT and blockchain, can improve food safety, reduce costs during recalls, and meet consumer demands for information about product origins. The use of blockchain allows for tamper-proof tracking and efficient data management, ultimately fostering greater trust between producers and consumers.

Uploaded by

zijingy942
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Blockchain in the

food and bever-


age industry.
Traceable from farm to table

The supply chain from the farm to the consumer's kitchen table is becoming in-
creasingly complex. Under the pressure of changing customer interests, increas-
ing regulatory controls and growing global competition, the food and beverage
industry is forced to create more transparency and gain more customer confi-
dence.
They are increasingly interested in their food sources and want more individual
products. These are just a few of the many factors driving the introduction of dig-
ital technologies in the industry. For example, the Internet of Things (IoT), Track-
ing & Tracing, Cloud and Edge Computing or the Blockchain.

Improving food safety and transparency


They ensure better food safety, more flexibility and reliability in production and
greater transparency in supply chains. In the event of recalls, they reduce effort
and costs. MindSphere, Siemens' open cloud-based IoT platform, offers the per-
fect way to capture data across the entire supply chain.
Pre-built blockchain applications make it easy to set up tamper-proof tracking
systems. They allow sensitive information to be stored behind closed doors,
while other participants in the supply chain only have access to the data they
need, which is sent to the blockchain via secure cloud gateways.

© Siemens 2019. siemens.com


1
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

Table of Contents

Trustworthy traceability
Siemens is currently developing modules for existing soft-
ware solutions as well as customer-specific IoT sensors that
send data directly to the blockchain. This allows to detect
"blind spots" in the supply chain and to create a complete
traceability record.
MindSphere is able to process any data source. This combi-
nation and the use of advanced analysis functions offered
on the platform can provide "trusted traceability" in the food Track & Trace solutions using the blockchain
and beverage industry. ensure complete traceability of all food and
beverage ingredients and effectively help
deliver on the promise of a trusted brand.

3 Food and beverages: The industry is facing


radical change
5 Blockchain & Internet of Things: The best of
both worlds optimally combined

7 Application scenario: Potato chips with certificate


show their origin
8 MindSphere: IoT operating system in the middle

9 Case Study: Seamless traceability at Hochdorf Swiss


Nutrition AG

10 Research Network EIT Food: Sustainable design


of food production

11 Case Study: Blockchain to prevent illegal tuna


fishing in the Pacific Ocean
12 Terms and Abbreviations

© Siemens 2019. 2
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

Food and beverages: The industry is facing


radical change

Today's consumers demand more variety in their food, For manufacturers, this leads to special requirements with
tastier and healthier products. Industry trends such as low- regard to health and sustainability, and "selling trust" be-
sugar, gluten-free, lactose-free and locally grown food have comes decisive for market success.
led to new market segments in developed countries, as has
"The consumer of tomorrow demands more transparency
the desire of consumers for convenience products that
and new solutions", say the auditing and consulting firm
reflect their changing lifestyles.
PwC, the rheingold institute and the logistics standardiza-
Let's take milk as an example: around 9,000 years ago, tion experts of GS1 Germany in their joint future scenario
people domesticated cows to drink their milk. Not much has "2025: Smart Value Networks".
changed in this respect over a long period of time.
Tailor-made food, sustainably produced
Until about 50 years ago, a fat-free or chocolate-flavored
Consumers in industrialised countries will then continue to
variant was available in grocery stores in addition to normal
change their attitude to consumption and increasingly ques-
whole milk.
tion the origin of products from a health, ethical and social
Today, supermarkets have dozens of types, not including re- point of view.
gional differences. They offer numerous products with
"In addition, they increasingly expect their individual needs
different fat levels and flavors, as well as almond, oat and
to be taken into account and, for example, have high expec-
soy milk for lactose-sensitive consumers. After 9,000 years
tations of simplicity and convenience when buying food,"
of stability worldwide, milk has become a complex and dy-
the study says.
namic product category.
By 2025, products that are precisely tailored to the needs of
„Selling trust" is the key to market success individual consumers are no longer special. They are simply
This demand includes trends like low-sugar, locally grown, expected. Just like the supplier's ethically and ecologically
gluten-free, non-dairy, nut-free hypoallergenic foods, and sustainability profile, a transparent supply chain and exten-
more. Customers also choose products that offer increased sive product information.
convenience, usually via specific packaging and/or prepara-
"Companies are well advised to know their customers as
tion that fits their lifestyle.
well as possible and to communicate with them in a trans-
As with this traditional drink, the market has also developed parent way. Through intelligent networking, the Internet of
for many other foods: With special products that take into Things offers the opportunity to better understand the
account all types of intolerances and are geared to specific needs of consumers and make the desired information
consumer lifestyles. available to them in real time," the study concludes.

As global supply chains


become more complex,
food safety requirements
rise, and trust issues
arise. New solutions are
needed to create greater
transparency in the food
and beverage industry.

© Siemens 2019. 3
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

At the same time, global supply chains in the food and bev- Knowledge about the origin of food becomes an important
erage industry are becoming increasingly complex. argument when shopping – especially for younger people.
Studies of human psychology have shown that 20 positive
In order to meet consumer demand for greater variety and
experiences are needed to mitigate and overcome a failure.
seasonal independence at competitive prices, manufactur-
Having a consistently positive product experience provides
ers are purchasing their raw materials around the globe.
the basis for being a trusted brand.
The aim is to effectively protect supply chains from spoil-
age, unintentional or deliberate tampering and product pi- 15 percent of all food sold is fake
racy. Experts estimate that about 15% of all food sold is now
fake5). Incorrect weight claims, the relabelling of expired
Enormous damage caused by food scandals foods or the declaration of conventional foods as organic –
Food-borne diseases, which affect one in 10 consumers given the enormous profit opportunities, the criminal en-
worldwide every year and cause the deaths of 400,000 peo- ergy in this sector is high. Especially since the risk of being
ple1), cause lasting damage to the image of manufacturers caught in this fraud is so far rather low.
and result in immense costs through recalls, legal disputes
The damage is borne by the brand producers. Not only do
and penalties.
they miss revenues of up to 13 billion € per year 6). Even
56% of all food and beverage manufacturers are affected by worse, however, is the health risk to consumers and the as-
at least one recall per year. The average direct cost is €9.5 sociated loss of confidence if damage actually occurs.
million2). Between €50 and €60 million additional costs are
Track & trace solutions with the help of block chains offer
incurred due to image damage and sales losses 3).
the necessary transparency to successfully manage supply
Increasing regulatory requirements as a result of food scan- chains. They guarantee the complete traceability of all food
dals, which have led to diseases and damage caused by and drink ingredients and effectively help to keep the prom-
food, are another challenge for the industry today. ise of a trustworthy brand.
So is the damage caused by counterfeit branded food. This
global problem is exacerbated not least by the rapid growth
Sources:
of online retailing.
1) Press release of the World Health Organization WHO on the UN World
Consumers post negative experience on social media Food Safety Day, 6/2019.
After a bad experience, brands are shunned by consumers
2) Joint study by Food Marketing Institute, Association of Food, Beverage
for an average of two years and, according to studies, they
and Consumer Product Companies (GMA) and Deloitte, 1/2016.
now post in 45% of cases their negative experience on so-
cial media. 3) Capturing Recall Costs, GMA White Paper, 2/2011.

At the same time, 61% of all consumers worldwide 4) say 4) The Harris Poll, 2/2014.
that they are more likely to buy products from brands that
5) UK Food Standards Agency (FSA), 2016.
act responsibly – even if this means spending more money
on food and drink. 6) Geo, "These foods are particularly frequently counterfeited", 5/2016.

© Siemens 2019. 4
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

Blockchain & Internet of Things: The best


of both worlds optimally combined

When the term blockchain is used, almost everyone thinks


of Bitcoin. But the crypto currency is only one of the many
possible applications of this technology: blockchains are
digital decentralized registers that offer high trust-
worthiness through crypto-graphic methods and
decentralized storage.
Blockchain is a special form of distributed ledger technology
(DLT), a digital logbook for transactions that are combined
into a block and chained together in chronological order –
hence the name "block chain".
The correctness of the information and transactions is not
verified by a central authority, but confirmed by all
participants using a consensus algorithm. The blockchain
technology therefore offers a high degree of data integrity
and trustworthiness. The Siemens Company Core Technologies (CCT) is currently
pursuing around 150 ideas on how new business models
Special requirements for the blockchain in the industry can be created on the basis of blockchain technology.
With the help of the Internet of Things (IoT), it is now possi- Among the applications currently being investigated for
ble to effectively generate, manage and analyze large business relevance and feasibility is improved traceability in
amounts of data. food and beverage production.
It can be ideally combined with blockchain technology to Together with Siemens Digital Industries, CCT is developing
revolutionize the food and beverage supply chain and solve a method to document supply chains in the food and bever-
many of the challenges facing the industry today in an effi- ages industry in a way that prevents forgery. This also in-
cient and cost-effective manner. volves close cooperation with startups.
In the industrial environment, however, there are special re- For example, Parity in Berlin is developing a modular system
quirements for a blockchain, for example in areas such as for blockchain applications: Depending on requirements,
performance and scalability. In contrast to Bitcoin open various elements can be intelligently combined to create
blockchains are not used for industrial applications, but ra- tailor-made blockchains.
ther consortia – i.e. private – blockchains.

© Siemens 2019. 5
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

Transparent supply chain from barley to bottle


In the future, every supplier of a brewery – be it the hop
grower or the malting plant – could store in an
unchangeable blockchain which raw materials he delivered
when and to whom. This makes the entire digital supply
chain, from the barley grain to the beer bottle, transparent
for consumers, breweries and authorities.
Using a QR code on the bottle label, consumers can then
view the information with an app on their smartphone. And
the brewery itself can document its supply chain at any time
without any doubt, for example with its own production
data and information on delivery logistics.
Together with their raw material suppliers, this makes them
transparent to the consumer: a competitive advantage in Accelerating global shipping and reducing costs
the highly competitive beer market. The multinational beverage and brewing company
Anheuser-Busch InBev, which includes beer brands such as
The "world's first blockchain beer" is now distributed Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Leffe and Becks, has a
Some pioneers from the international craft beer scene, who slightly different concept.
are already experimenting with blockchain technology in
practice, have proven that this approach does not have to It does not use the blockchain in the production process,
remain a beautiful technology vision. but it does use it for a trustful exchange with raw material
suppliers and in logistics. Here it is intended to noticeably
For example, the Northern Irish craft beer manufacturer simplify the hitherto often cumbersome shipping process
Downstream Beer uses them to inform consumers about across national borders.
everything they want to know about ingredients and
brewing processes. Customers simply scan with their Together with a consortium of companies from the consult-
smartphone a QR code attached to the bottle label or visit ing and transport business as well as customs authorities,
the manufacturer's website. the brewing giant tested the solution for twelve genuine in-
ternational beer deliveries, each of which went to a differ-
For each batch of the four different varieties currently ent location and had to overcome different regulatory re-
brewed, they can find out which raw materials – such as quirements.
malt, hops, yeast and water – have been used.
It turned out that international shipments of food and bev-
The "world's first blockchain beer" is now distributed erages today usually require more than 20 different docu-
throughout the UK and is enjoying increasing popularity. ments in order to get from the exporter to the final con-
"Our product is a radical blend of artisanal brewing sumer. This results in a lack of transparency and poor data
techniques and the strong spirit of digital technology," the quality.
young producer advertises.
The blockchain solution used made it unnecessary to print
shipping documents and 80% of the usual data entries. By
accelerating and simplifying the flow of documents
throughout the entire shipping process, it is expected that
hundreds of millions of dollars can be saved and errors re-
duced every year.

Connecting local producers and global supply chains


In African Zambia, Anheuser-Busch InBev, together with the
blockchain startup BanQu, has launched a pilot project to
connect 2,000 cassava farmers directly with breweries in
the country.
These farmers, who grow raw materials for beer production,
often lack the qualifications to open bank accounts. They
are therefore dependent on several intermediaries who re-
duce their income.
The BanQu platform uses the blockchain to ensure that local
producers are brought into direct contact with global supply
chains at an early stage and can do business without a bank
account using forgery-proof identities.

© Siemens 2019. 6
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

Application scenario: Potato chips with


certificate show their origin
Siemens is working on an intelligent solution so that recalls can be dealt with more quickly and specifically in the fu-
ture. The open, cloud-based MindSphere IoT system will enable suppliers, distributors and manufacturers to collect
data at every stage of the transport and production chain and store it in the Siemens blockchain.
This makes it possible to narrow down a recall to a specific batch or production day. The risk of contaminated food
entering the supermarket can thus be minimized as much as unnecessary effort and costs for a reasonless recall.

Seamless information chain that can be viewed at any time


In a possible scenario, for example, a Frankfurt-based manufacturer of potato chips with an organic certificate who
obtains his potatoes from Germany, the salt from France and the sunflower oil from Italy would have immediate ac-
cess to all relevant information: From the cultivation of organic potatoes and other ingredients, their storage and
transport, processing such as cutting, frying and seasoning to packaging and distribution at the retailer.

By scanning the QR code on


the chip bag, customers can
track the origin and route of
a product as well as retrieve
detailed and batch-precise
information.

At the end of the day, the consumer is provided with a complete information chain that can be viewed at any time
and guarantees that his chips consist of, for example, 100 percent organically grown potatoes and that they have
been processed under optimal conditions.

Benefits for consumers, retailers and manufacturers


The transparent supply chain for food traceability ensures that products and their ingredien ts are safe and genuine.
Wholesalers and supermarkets receive detailed information on where they were last stored. The manufacturer can
identify the place of origin of the ingredients used at any time and obtain detailed information about their producers.
The unchangeable time stamps provide all ingredients with a forgery-proof best before date.

Click: The interactive application scenario can be viewed here.

© Siemens 2019. 7
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

MindSphere: IoT operating system in the


middle

The global food and beverage industry produces billions of


product units each year. The data generated along the en-
tire value chain would completely overload a classic block-
chain infrastructure in terms of both data volume and trans-
action frequency.
Siemens has therefore been looking for solutions and modi-
fications to harmonize the security and reliability of block-
chain with the characteristics of the Internet of Things and
to create a non-manipulable control chain.

Collecting information from multiple data sources


The open IoT operating system MindSphere acts as a media-
tor, buffering and filtering all useful information. This in-
cludes, for example, data from IoT sensors, programmable
logic controllers or process control, ERP and MES systems.
But also, consumer feedback, weather forecasts and data Global standard guarantees universal compatibility
from agriculture, such as the use of fertilizers or pesticides The use of the worldwide Electronic Product Code (EPC) for
or during transport, can be processed. the individual identification of objects, created by the non-
profit organization GS1 (Global Standards One), guarantees
However, only a certain subset of this information is for-
universal compatibility.
warded via a Blockchain Secure Gateway to the Blockchain,
where it is encrypted and stored with links to the remaining The EPC Information Services (EPCIS), which are based on
data in the secure private cloud. this, enable a transparent, efficient and reliable exchange of
information along the entire value chain between all parties
In addition to the hardware components, the architecture of
involved.
the Siemens Blockchain consists of a Blockchain Manager
and a Blockchain Viewer, which are used in a smartphone Especially in a blockchain for traceability, products, compa-
app to access the required information. nies and shipment units must be clearly identified.
By combining new data written to the blockchain with all Therefore, the message types of the global interface stand-
systems and applying advanced analytics capabilities of- ard include, for example, information on material, owner,
fered on the platform, new insights can be achieved. condition monitoring, and production.

© Siemens 2019. 8
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

Case Study: Seamless traceability at


Hochdorf Swiss Nutrition AG
Hochdorf Swiss Nutrition AG is a Swiss specialist in the production of food from milk, oilseeds and cereals. In the new
30-metre-high production tower, one of the largest of its kind in Europe, around 75 million litres of milk are pro-
cessed each year into around 30,000 tonnes of baby food.
Precise process control around the clock is essential to ensure that the milk powder has the right consistency at the
end and does not become too dusty or too moist.

High hygiene and quality requirements for baby food


Hochdorf relies on modern technology from Siemens. This enables reliable 24-hour monitoring of the plant and com-
plete traceability of the entire production process. The composition of baby food is strongly regulated – hygiene and
quality requirements are high – and every processing step must be traceable.
663 digital and 637 analogue sensors continuously record parameters such as pressure, temperature or filling levels.
300 motors provide the drive and 1,700 valves regulate the pressure and flow rates of the media and ingredients re-
quired for production.

Numerous sensors in the production plant record all parameters.


Important key data is stored automatically. This ensures complete
traceability of the entire baby food production process.

All production data is stored on a long-term basis


Data processing and automation are carried out via ten Simatic controllers with 64 peripheral stations. Two F controls
are used exclusively for safety technology and ensure that the system – in case of an emergency, for example – can
be shut down in a controlled and safe manner. It produces continuously for one to two weeks in 24-hour operation.
In the control room, all process variables are continuously recorded, and important key data is automatically stored
on a central server.
This procedure ensures complete traceability of the entire production process – all data can still be retrieved years
later. If blockchain technology were used to extend this traceability beyond the company's boundaries and, for exam-
ple, to include milk suppliers, the cycle would be completely closed.

Click: The complete case study can be downloaded here.

© Siemens 2019. 9
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

Research Network EIT Food: Sustainable


design of food production

A network of over 50 universities, research institutions and


companies – including Siemens – has been commissioned
by the EU to use new technologies to help produce food in a
more sustainable and resource-conserving way by 2025.
The Budapest-based European Institute of Innovation and
Technology (EIT) is funding several Knowledge and
Innovation Communities (KICs) on various topics.
One of them is "EIT Food", a cross-border innovation
initiative aimed at reducing food waste. From production to
consumption, 32% of all food is lost today if it spoils in
transit, in supermarkets or in private households or ends up
as food leftovers in the garbage.
Recognizing aroma substances in pudding by barcode
The consortium, in which the Technical University of As food safety is one of the major concerns in food produc-
Munich (TUM), the Fraunhofer Society and Siemens, among tion, improving tracking & tracing can solve several prob-
others, are involved from Germany, aims to remedy this lems at once.
situation by offering training and continuing education
measures, supporting startups and promoting research In a joint use case with Givaudan, the world leader in the
activities. production of fragrances and flavours for food and bever-
ages based in Switzerland, Siemens has already imple-
It describes itself as "Europe’s leading food innovation mented a digital twin and a tracking & tracing solution for
initiative, working to make the food system more the Milki pudding of the Israeli-based food and beverage
sustainable, healthy and trusted". company Strauss Group Ltd. in Switzerland.

Digitization of supply chains in the food sector The product will be sold internationally through supermar-
The "Digital Twin Management" project focuses on the digit- kets, retail stores, hotels, restaurants and canteens and will
ization and automation of supply chains in the food sector – have a barcode on each package which can be scanned with
to which Siemens solutions for plant management, plant a smartphone and which will provide comprehensive infor-
engineering and product lifecycle management (PLM) or the mation about the flavourings processed.
open IoT operating system MindSphere contribute. This involves extracting data from factory automation and
This will also make it possible to create a digital twin for enterprise systems, creating digital product and production
food and beverages that can be used to read what a product twins, and transferring the data to MindSphere. The aim is
is, where it comes from, how it was produced and what in- to share selected information – such as recipes, suppliers,
gredients it contains. quality, times and transport routes – with customers, suppli-
ers and the regulatory authority.
Among other things, it is planned to make pallets of fruit or
meat traceable using blockchain technology. In this way, a The manufacturer himself is now better informed as well
tamper-proof control chain will restore consumer confi- But the food manufacturer itself is also better informed
dence in their food, while strictly respecting data protec- about the ingredients of its products, for example by
tion. making certified analysis results of the aromas available
Just as in medicine, where patient-specific treatments are online.
the latest research trend, personalised nutrition also plays In addition, the system provides the current status of the
an important role at EIT Food. production of a flavouring substance at any time, thus
The goal: Thanks to automation, people with special needs improving the planning process and product optimization.
– such as in nursing homes – or special preferences and And in the event of a recall, the causes can be pinpointed
food intolerances can in the future receive healthy food tai- faster and better, which also leads to cost savings. "The best
lored to their needs, which is produced individually in batch way to prepare for the future is to shape it," is Givaudan's
size 1 for them in fully automatic factories. motto.

© Siemens 2019. 10
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

Case Study: Blockchain to prevent illegal


tuna fishing in the Pacific Ocean
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Australia, Fiji and New Zealand has launched a unique pilot project to fully track
tuna's journey from "fishing vessel to supermarket", thereby curbing illegal fishing in the Pacific Ocean.
A combination of RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags, QR (quick response) codes and scanning devices is used
to collect information along the supply chain from fisherman to end customer.

Every single fish is checked with scanners


The scanners, which are installed on the ship, at the dock and in the processing factory, recognize the tags and auto-
matically upload information to the blockchain. Once the fish has been processed, the reusable RFID label is replaced
with a cheaper QR code label attached to the product packaging.
The individual QR code is linked to the blockchain record associated with the particular fish and its original RFID tag.
This allows the rest of the marine animal's journey to be traced back to the consumer. At the moment, linking the
tags is not difficult as the project focuses on the whole export – i.e. the whole fresh fish minus the head, gills and
intestines.

The OpenSC platform reliably


locates the location where a
food fish was caught. With the
help of machine learning, it can
be determined in real time
whether it comes legally from a
certified sustainable fishery and
not from a marine reserve or an
ecologically sensitive area.

Extension of the pilot project to an open platform


The process becomes somewhat more complicated when the tuna is cut into loins, steaks, cubes and cans – but again
the pilot project is looking for a viable and cost-effective solution to link the QR code tags on the packaging of the
processed product to the records of the original catch in the blockchain. With the launch of the OpenSC platform in
early 2019, the WWF extended the pilot project in Australia to other fish species.
It should help to better identify illegal, environmentally harmful or unethical products. After scanning the QR code
tag on the packaging at the destination with their smartphone or tablet, the end user is shown information about
where a particular food product comes from, when and how it was produced and how it has moved along the s upply
chain. Blockchain can also be used to store additional information, such as the temperature of stored food, in a for-
gery-proof manner.

© Siemens 2019. 11
Whitepaper | Blockchain in the food and beverage industry | 09.2019

Terms and Abbreviations

Blockchain Although blockchain or distributed ledger Tracking & Tracking and tracing of products. Nowa-
technology (DLT) is already celebrating its Tracing days, it is common for products to be avail-
tenth birthday in 2019, there is still no uni- able on the Internet in real time. GS1
form definition of the term. One possible (Global Standards One) differentiates be-
description refers to "forgery-proof, distrib- tween the tracking of the raw material to
uted data structures in which transactions the end product and the tracing of the end
are logged in chronological order, tracea- product to the raw material. Both terms to-
ble, unalterable and depicted without a gether result in traceability as a special
central instance". Typical characteristics – transparency at all levels of the supply
whether with a private or a public block- chain.
chain – are in any case decentralization,
QR-Code Quick Response Code. A two-dimensional
unchangeability, transparency and privacy.
code that has a square format and consists
Digital Twin Digital twins are virtual images of the prod- of black and white dots in which the infor-
uct, production or performance along the mation is stored. The data is protected by
entire value chain and enable seamless an error-correcting code so that it can still
linking of the individual process steps. In be decoded with a scanner or smartphone
this way, efficiency can be consistently in- app even if it is lost by up to 30 percent.
creased, the error rate minimized, develop- Therefore, the QR code is now also used for
ment cycles shortened, and new business many consumer-oriented applications, for
opportunities opened up. example to provide customers with addi-
tional information on products.
GS1-Standards Global Standards One. Worldwide valid,
overlap-free numbering and coding sys-
tems for the unambiguous identification of
goods and services. With the GS1 stand-
ards, specific logistical information, such as
article descriptions, addresses or shipping
unit features, is numerically encrypted and
made machine readable.
Internet of The Internet of Things (IoT) makes it possi-
Things ble to intelligently network physical things
and applications via the Internet. With the
help of their sensors, the networked de-
vices collect data that they can exchange
and make available among themselves and Photos: Siemens AG, Downstream Beer,
via the Internet. With MindSphere, Siemens EIT Food, Shutterstock, WWF
provides companies and software develop-
ers with a complete operating system for
the Internet of Things. The cloud-based, Siemens AG
open platform connects products, plants, Siemens Germany
systems and machines and thus makes it Vertical Sales Food & Beverage
possible to transform masses of IoT data Lindenplatz 2
with comprehensive analyses into insights 20099 Hamburg
– and thus into added value.
siemens.com

© Siemens 2019. 12

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