Merck's 'digital twin' traceability platform comes to fruition

German pharma and chemical group Merck KGaA has been working on its traceability and authentication platform for some years – and now it's ready to roll out.

The blockchain-enabled technology – called M-Trust – is described as a "cyber-physical trust platform" that relies on the use of 'digital twins' of physical products that allow them to be tracked and authenticated through the supply chain.

It has been launched as a beta version that can be tested by would-be users to see how it could be deployed to solve issues tracking product quality and safety and assisting with recalls, fighting counterfeiting of products, and meeting traceability requirements and mandates.

"As expectations for product quality control rise, companies must ensure safety and transparency in their industrial value chains while complying with ever-tightening regulations," commented Merck's chief science and technology officer Laura Matz.

"Until now, they may have struggled to fully digitalise assurance processes because machines did not meet human standards," she added. "M-Trust is a first-to-market, cyber-physical trust platform that enhances product traceability and authenticity by digitally empowering human capabilities in quality control processes."

M-Trust is based on the concept of 'crypto anchors' – in basic terms any technology that creates a digital record of a physical item – and uses security inks and/or tiny micro-transponder chips for that purpose as well as handheld readers for authentication and a charging station.

Merck has collaborated on the 'platform as a service' (PaaS) with various partners including pharma packaging specialist Gerresheimer and electronics firm p-Chip.

It is aimed at process-intensive industries like pharma/biotech, food and beverage, chemicals, electronics, and automotive, which often have high-level requirements in areas like data security, product quality and regulatory compliance.

Merck is making a starter developer kit available for potential users of M-Trust that includes the readers and charger, patented marker materials, software and step-by-step instructions on setting up a project, which can be used during a three-month trial period while the platform is in beta.

"Built in-house at Merck, this technology is backed by [our] legacy and expertise in product quality and security and is designed to adapt to evolving technologies and regulatory requirements, such as the EU Digital Product Passport," said the company.