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A blockchain-based confidentiality-preserving approach to traceability in Industry 4.0

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Abstract

Industry 4.0 involves major changes in manufacturing process management. Both the Internet of Things and cloud computing allow online interactions between third parties, such as providers, customers and suppliers, with the traceability system of a factory. Several blockchain-based approaches have been proposed to increase confidence in traceability data and reinforce trust. However, the transparency brought may be at the cost of risks to factory’s confidential data exposure. This paper investigates the way these critical data, which are necessary to post-assembly audit, could be included into traceability data, and validated through the related transactions by the third parties, without compromising their confidentiality. Accordingly, this proposal includes the description of a blockchain-based traceability system and its implementation using the Multichain platform. In addition to its confidentiality-preserving feature, we discuss the way energy consumption and storage volume induced could be managed so as to favor its effective adoption by manufacturing factories.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support of ETAPLES 4.0 project which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the Industry of the future program of the Hauts de France Region Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LISIC EA 4491, Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, F-62228, Calais, France

    Valentin Mullet, Patrick Sondi & Eric Ramat

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  1. Valentin Mullet
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  2. Patrick Sondi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick Sondi.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Author contribution

Valentin Mullet and Patrick Sondi conceived the BPCAT approach. Patrick Sondi formalised the confidentiality preserving mechanism. Valentin Mullet specified and carried out the BPCAT implementation with Multichain. Eric Ramat supervised the research work and verified the implementation. All authors wrote and reviewed the manuscript.

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Patrick Sondi and Eric Ramat contributed equally to this work.

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Mullet, V., Sondi, P. & Ramat, E. A blockchain-based confidentiality-preserving approach to traceability in Industry 4.0. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 124, 1297–1320 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-10431-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-10431-9

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