Blockchain technologies continue to generate news across industries for their potential to reduce transaction times and costs. Although more commonly associated with cryptocurrencies, blockchains can also be implemented to modernize international supply chains, which suffer from voluminous documentary requirements, layers of middlemen and immense regulation. The supply chain industry is becoming one of the biggest use cases for blockchain, enough so for us to provide you with a weekly summary rich with announcements. Here is a round of supply chain on the blockchain news this past week!Delhi-based start-up brings Blockchain and AI in the logistics industry in IndiaTo create transparency & digital transformation in the courier industry, Delhi-based start-up ‘CourierHome’ aim to bring Blockchain technology & AI to India. With this, CourierHome is setting out to create transparency of all documents and transactions across the freight landscape, increasing the efficiency, agility and innovation of supply chains.The customer can track their order and get updates directly through the app. Courierhome, converging new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning with blockchain, is helping the logistics industry redefine today’s behaviour and practices — taking operations from reactive to proactive; planning from forecast to prediction; processes from manual to autonomous; and courier services from standardized to personalized.New Blockchain App Claims Its Already Tracking 760,000 DiamondsZhongAn Insurance, a subsidiary of China’s first web-only insurer, says it has placed the data of 760,000 diamonds on a blockchain. ZhongAn Technology announced the launch of its gem-tracking blockchain application saying that the project was created to achieve a higher level of traceability in the luxury industry.The product is being marketed through Diamsledger. The application is deployed across selected parties along the diamond supply chain, including diamond dealers, processing firms, customs, logistic companies and exchange centers.Shanghai uses blockchain to track vaccine authenticityVeChain Foundation, which traces global supply routes using blockchain, announced early this week that it has been running a drug and vaccine traceability solution in partnership with the Shanghai municipal government.VeChain is currently the only approved blockchain traceability provider in Shanghai, where its solution is being developed and tested, and has been tasked to achieve the China traceability requirements by 2020. This will soon be rolled out across China.IBM and Maersk launch blockchain to reduce shipping time and costsBig news for supply chain industry this week was cargo shipping giant Maersk and IBM announcing TradeLens, a technology that applies blockchain technology to world’s global supply chain. More than 94 companies and organizations are supporting the project in the name of transparency, information sharing, and innovation.TradeLens uses IBM blockchain technology as the foundation for digital supply chains, empowering multiple trading partners to collaborate by establishing a single shared view of a transaction without compromising details, privacy or confidentiality.Everledger adds blockchain DNA tagging for leatherEverledger announced a co-marketing deal for Applied DNA’s CertainT platform recently. The CertainT platform involves tagging a product with unique molecular DNA to guard against counterfeiting. Applied DNA’s technology involves adding unique DNA molecules to an individual product or line of products. Then at various points in the supply chain, the existence of the DNA can be verified using a portable testing machine.By using molecular tagging, it won’t just verify the authenticity of products. Potentially it will also identify where in the supply chain counterfeit products are introduced. Because if the handbag has the DNA molecule at the last shipping depot, but the DNA doesn’t exist at the next point, then you know something went wrong in between.Block Array announces FreightTrust, blockchain-based supply chain technologyBlock Array has developed a new blockchain-based shipping document application, FreightTrust, and a new hazardous material joint venture to enable drop-shipping of hazardous materials. It is designed to eliminate the need for having a physical shipping documents, such as bills of lading.Using an ethereum-based blockchain called POA, FreightTrust has successfully been used in production environments for over a month with several businesses and is beginning to expand to open access for any business wishing to use it.Constance Hotels & Resorts: delivering supply chain innovationInteresting to see another hotel/ resort jump on the chain this week as a new ecosystem to bring blockchain to deliver and refine customer service and experience.Harnessing software which will enable the business to utilize multiple foreign currencies, Constance Hotels & Resorts’ Group has adopted cloud technology and blockchain, which will bring the highest degree of accountability to the business. There will be no more missed transactions, human or machine errors, or even an exchange that was not done with the consent of the parties involved due to the use of blockchain.Want to know more about Sweetbridge?Sweetbridge is an open-source project unlocking the value trapped in assets, payment delays, and corporate talent. Our Blockchain-based ‘tools for commerce’ help companies, countries and individuals to find a better way to trade and innovate.To join the movement go to https://sweetbridge.com/crowdsale and click “Register Now”.Join our discussion in Sweetbridge telegram channel to learn more about Sweetbridge and its products.Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Telegram | Reddit | InstagramSupply Chain/Blockchain Friday Wrap — Week ending 10 August 2018 was originally published in Sweetbridge on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.