Yesterday, engineering and technology services provider SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation) declared plans for a blockchain pilot with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company to guard supply chain transactions.

SAIC is a leading U.S. government services contractor based in Virginia. It is currently the sole contractor of the Global Tire Program, implementing total supply chain management solutions of tires for the Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Foreign Military Sales. SAIC stated it had delivered over 1.5 million tires in the past eight years, with a fill rate of 97%. The company has revenues of $6.5 billion.

Ohio-based Goodyear is one of the top tire manufacturers in the world and had an income of $14.7 billion in 2019. The tire-maker has been on the Fortune 500 list for 25 years now.

In 2016, SAIC started exploring blockchain for supply chain management and product track and trace. It worked on a blockchain proof-of-concept for research data provenance and securing voting systems.

Recently, it is operating on combining blockchain with its supply chain management solution. SAIC stated the integration would use EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) message standards to allow secure communication between permissioned parties. It also aims to enable consumers and other participants to trace a shipment in real-time.

“Accurate and secure supply chain solutions are critical to SAIC’s work of providing our customers with the commodities they need when and where they require them,” stated Jim Scanlon, SAIC EVP, and general manager of the Defense Systems Customer Group.

“Blockchain technology will offer secure methods for transmission of mission-critical, sensitive data, and information to our Armed Forces and U.S. government personnel around the world.”

Earlier this year, SAIC declared a collaborative pilot program to help the Global Tire Program and government consumers. The aim is to combine data from IoT sensors for real-time trace and track and take prudent steps to exclude delivery delays.

The blockchain pilot will utilize Microsoft Azure Blockchain services.

Earlier, GS1 and SAP issued a blockchain prototype to achieve the tire-retreading process.

Meantime, The U.S. Department of Defense has conferred contracts to various companies for emerging blockchain solutions such as secure communication, parts procurement, cybersecurity, and chip protection.