Recent developments in Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), including Blockchain offer new opportunities in the manufacturing domain, by providing mechanisms to automate trust services (digital identity, trusted interactions, and auditable transactions) and when combined with other advanced digital technologies (e.g. machine learning) can provide a secure backbone for trusted data flows between independent entities. This paper presents an DLT-based architectural pattern and technology solution known as SmartQC that aims to provide an extensible and flexible approach to integrating DLT technology into existing workflows and processes. SmartQC offers an opportunity to make processes more time efficient, reliable, and robust by providing two key features i) data integrity through immutable ledgers and ii) automation of business workflows leveraging smart contracts. The paper will present the system architecture, extensible data model and the application of SmartQC in the context of example smart manufacturing applications.

翻译：分布式账本技术（DLT，包括区块链）的最新进展通过提供自动化信任服务（数字身份、可信交互与可审计交易）的机制，为制造业领域带来了新的机遇。当与其他先进数字技术（如机器学习）结合时，能够为独立实体间的可信数据流提供安全的基础设施。本文提出一种基于DLT的架构模式与技术解决方案（即SmartQC），旨在提供一种可扩展、灵活的方式将DLT技术集成至现有工作流与流程中。SmartQC通过两大关键特性——不可变账本保障数据完整性、利用智能合约实现业务工作流自动化——为提升流程的时间效率、可靠性与鲁棒性提供可能。本文将阐述系统架构、可扩展数据模型以及SmartQC在智能制造示例应用中的实施。