FedEx Exec Pushes For Standardisation Within Blockchain Industry

By Prashant Jha

Recently, speaking at the Blockchain Global Revolution Conference, Rob Carter, the chief information officer of FedEx, the world renowned delivery service from the United States, has emphasized on the need to have uniform standards within the blockchain industry. In advocating for the same, Carter echoes many other executives and experts who have called for the same before him.

Carter, while explaining his views, referred to the roll of blockchain in supply chain and said how having established standardised norms would help in maintaining a certain degree of uniformity in all supply chains using blockchain technology. He particularly stressed on the fact that using blockchain technology would substantially improve the means of tracking the provenance of goods and streamline the entire shipping process overall.

He elaborated upon these ideas in the following terms:

“There is an incredible amount of information moving with an international package. An incredible amount of paperwork [such as] certificates of origin, and certain commodities require specific licenses. That information moves sometimes in digital forms and sometimes paper forms. As we move toward a more digital world, blockchain is where you piece all that together.”

FedEx itself has earlier been in the news for using the Hyperledger technology and is a frequent user of blockchain in general. It is in fact even a member of the Blockchain in Transport Alliance, alongside the likes of DHL Express and UPS, both international delivery service companies like itself. In September 2018, it joined Hyperledger, which is basically an open source project that helps firms across multiple industries connect via blockchain.

Considering such a background, it makes great sense for Carter to push for standardisation within the blockchain industry. As the technology spreads far and wide and finds more and more applications, it becomes all the more important to find common ground and pinpoint ethics and values that can guide the usage of this revolutionary technology across industries and countries.