Transforming Industry

36 37 RETAIL Supply chain transparency Change has arrived in the fashion industry with a new supply chain transparency platform called tex.tracer. It gives brand owners the insights they need, and by scanning a QR code on a garment with their mobile, consumers can also trace the garment’s history. The platform build started in 2019. In tex.tracer, information is obtained from brand owners when they register a garment and the system automatically emails companies down the supply chain. Once verified, the data needed to be stored in a decentralized database that would ensure privacy, trustworthiness, and credibility. Blockchain is the answer. Fujitsu built the core Blockchain platform with all the required cloud, internet, and security interactions and now has an ongoing managed service agreement for the platform. Following a soft launch at the start of 2021, early users included 10 brands with 200 orders going through the system. With an average of 10 supply chain stakeholders per order, this amounted to around 2,000 interactions. “We value our relationship with Fujitsu because they put our business needs first and then use technology as the enabler, not the driver,” says tex.tracer co-founder Jolanda Kooi. Read the full case study > GOVERNMENT Chatbot health role During the Covid-19 crisis, government agency Digital India used Microsoft Power Platform and Microsoft Power Virtual Agents to engage and educate citizens at scale. The aim of the initiative was to provide real-time responses to public health queries. Working with teams at Microsoft and Accenture, Digital India built a chatbot that uses AI and natural language processing to provide seamless answers on the MyGov website. The bot, which diverts load from phone and emails, will also be deployed for other government services. “We used the Power Virtual Agents bot to play a significant role in engaging citizens at scale and educating them on how to stay safe by providing real-time responses to their queries,” says Abhishek Singh, Chief Executive Officer of MyGov, Digital India. “The better we communicate, the more lives we save.” Tens of thousands among India’s population of 1.38 billion citizens use the bot, which frees up vital communication channels and increases public health knowledge. In turn, this has helped reduce the spread of Covid-19. Read the full case study >