Nippon Express unveils big push in pharma supply chain security

Japanese logistics company Nippon Express has teamed up with Accenture and Intel Japan to develop a blockchain-based logistics system for the pharma and consumer product sectors.

Nippon Express says it will invest 100bn yen (around $930m) to develop and implement the system, which is scheduled to start rolling out next year, according to a Nikkei report (in Japanese).

The investment includes money for new warehouse facilities, sensor and tracker devices that will make use of radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology and software development. Accenture will lead the technical development of the platform.

The system will improve the security of the supply chain by making it harder for counterfeits to be introduced, says Nikkei, and will make sure shipments are sent in accordance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP).