Here's To SOA

It's finally starting to make sense. SOA, embedded controllers, wireless communication, intelligent systems, electronic product codes. And all it took is the Living Beer Lab.

What all this has to do with the price of hops in Hoboken is a new intelligent wireless project involving Heineken, Safmarine (an international shipping company), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (University of Amsterdam), and IBM--in conjunction with Dutch Customs, UK Customs, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (Now if that isn't enough bartenders behind the Foo Bar....) The Beer Living Lab tracks cargo container shipments of Heineken beer from Europe to the U.S. using satellite and cellular technology. The goal is to create paperless documentation through better system interoperability, resulting in faster deliveries and reduced costs for international trade.

IBM's Secure Trade Lane provides real-time interoperability via a wireless sensor platform and Services Oriented Architecture (SOA), based on WebSphere. The project's SOA, called the "Shipment Information Services," leverages the EPCglobal network and EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) standards. Consequently, instead of building and maintaining a large central database with huge amounts of information, distributed data sources are linked, allowing data to be shared in real time between Heineken, Safmarine, and customs authorities in the U.S., Netherlands, and England.

In this pilot, Safmarine will ship 10 containers of Heineken beer from locations in both Netherlands and England, through their Customs Authorities, to the U.S. Heineken distribution center. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam will coordinate the project and provide best practices documentation to share across the European Union.

"The Beer Living Lab is setting a roadmap for the next generation e-Customs solutions. We test innovative solutions, based on IBM's Tamper Resistant Embedded Controller (TREC) and SOA developed by IBM that could revolutionize customs," said Dr. Yao-Hua Tan, professor of Electronic Business, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. "Companies using these solutions could benefit greatly due to less physical inspections by customs; thus these e-customs solutions greatly facilitate international trade."

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, more than 30 different documents are associated with one single container crossing a border, which equals roughly five billion documents annually. The findings of the project will provide a viable alternative to manufacturers, shippers, retailers and customs administrations as they look to move to a paperless trade environment. Once accepted and implemented widely, paperless trade will support initiatives such as Green Lane, which will eliminate most inspections on arrival, thus significantly speeding up ocean freight shipments and improving the profit margins for shippers.

If nothing else, Dan Reeder can in his song "I Drink Beer", add "more efficient supply chains" to "improving his mind, ending all wars, and helping mankind" as reasons for drinking beer.

Posted by Jon Erickson at 10:02 AM  Permalink