DLT Labs™ and Walmart Canada have started a project to transform freight invoice management through the use of Hyperledger Fabric, an enterprise blockchain platform. This collaboration aims to transform the traditional freight management process, which is crucial for Walmart’s operations, involving stocking over 400 stores nationwide with a diverse range of products. By implementing a blockchain solution, they address the significant challenges of managing a complex and data-intensive supply chain, improving efficiency, transparency, and trust.
What are the problems ?
They started this project to address the complexities and disputes that arise in freight invoicing. Traditional systems have outdated information management, which often leads to high levels of invoice discrepancies and administrative costs. For example, the transportation industry has $140 billion tied up daily due to invoice dispute. Delays in payment impact businesses which sometimes must borrow money to face obligations. Overall, the costs induced are huge and are just a waste. On top of the cost waste, there also is the problem of managing data. In the case of Walmart, it is a huge multinational company, therefore it works with a lot of carriers and each can a different information system and way of functionning etc… all this gigantic amount of data to be managed makes it very difficult to approve invoice amounts.
What is the solution ?
DLT Labs™, leveraging its expertise in distributed ledger technology, has developed a platform that simplifies and streamlines this process, ensuring that carriers and Walmart operate on a unified system with real-time data verification and automated invoice processing. Hyperledger Fabric forms the foundation of this solution, offering a secure, private, and scalable blockchain framework. This technology allows for the integration of multiple vendors under one architecture, automating universal workflows while maintaining independent and confidential relationships between Walmart and each carrier. The platform, named DL Freight™, represents a significant advancement in freight management technology, providing a fully configurable system that was tailored to Walmart’s specific needs in just 60 days.
The implementation of DL Freight™ has led to great improvements in Walmart’s freight operations. The platform has virtually eliminated the high rate of invoice disputes, streamlined the approval process, and significantly reduced the error threshold and processing timeline for carrier invoices. This transformation has not only enhanced the financial and operational aspects of Walmart’s freight management but also strengthened the trust and relationships with its carriers.
In summary, the partnership between DLT Labs™ and Walmart Canada, through the use of Hyperledger Fabric, has successfully transformed the freight invoice management system. This initiative not only demonstrates the practical benefits of blockchain technology in a real-world industrial application but also help foster future blockchain-based solutions for enterprise. The project shows the potential of blockchain technology to enhance efficiency, transparency, and trust in complex supply chains.