Blockchain-Based Cloud Manufacturing SCM System for Collaborative Enterprise Manufacturing: A Case Study of Transport Manufacturing

Sheet metal part manufacture is a precursor to various upstream assembly processes, including the manufacturing of mechanical and body parts of railcars, automobiles, ships, etc., in the transport manufacturing sector. The (re)manufacturing of railcars comprises a multi-tier manufacturing supply chain, mainly supported by local small and medium enterprises (SMEs), where siloed information leads to information disintegration between supplier and manufacturer. Technology spillovers in information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) are disrupting traditional supply chains, leading to a sustainable digital economy, driven by new innovations and business models in manufacturing. This paper presents application of industrial DevOps by merging industry 4.0 technologies for collaborative and sustainable supply chains. A blockchain-based information system (IS) and a cloud manufacturing (CM) process system were integrated, for a supply chain management (SCM) system for the railcar manufacturer. A systems thinking methodology was used to identify the multi-hierarchical system, and a domain-driven design approach (DDD) was applied to develop the event-driven microservice architecture (MSA). The result is a blockchain-based cloud manufacturing as a service (BCMaaS) SCM system for outsourcing part production for boxed sheet metal parts. In conclusion, the BCMaaS system performs part provenance, traceability, and analytics in real time for improved quality control, inventory management, and audit reliability.