Digital Vehicle Protocol based on Distributed Ledger Technology in Production

Abstract

This paper describes the utilization of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) as means of a digital backbone – the so-called digital vehicle protocol – across the commercial vehicle industry. Enabling a digital vehicle protocol along the value chain resolves common data management problems, which are still the main inhibitor for advanced analytics methods and serves as a basis for new business models.This contribution demonstrates a per product-data centered approach in which low structured data can be written to and read from any point along the value chain on a product unit-based scope by using DLT. By embedding data post-processing pipelines per product-unit, data easily can be retrofitted to the task at hand. Therefore, it decouples data post-processing from data generation as well as overcoming current data silos within organizations. DLT hereby allows tying processing routines to data leading to a temper-proof digital vehicle protocol. Besides obtaining a stronger product-individual focus, our approach enables an easier integration of stakeholders into the entire business process landscape such as suppliers as well as sellers and leads to future business models such as billing depending on quality defects found during production.Our conceptual framework resolves current problems, i.e. data access, data quality and data processing costs. We align conceptual applicability with regards to a Truck Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) within the scope of failure management in production in order to specify implementation details, which reveal new business process models that further can transform commercial vehicle manufacturers from producers to service providers.