Story ID: 526
14bis Showcases Logistics Tracking Solution
By: James Wynbrandt
Caption: U.S. start-ups’ blockchain-based system can track parts, data, material or intellectual property throughout its lifecycle.
Word Count: 297
Blockchain logistics tracking startup 14bis Supply Tracking (at Antavia Ameteq MRO, Hall 2B Stand E94) returns to the Paris Air Show as an incorporated business two years after debuting here as an invited would-be enterprise. Designed to combat counterfeit parts in aviation, its proprietary middleware sits between applications to create a chain of authenticity that can follow an asset, substance or intellectual property throughout its lifecycle, said CEO and co-founder Eleanor Mitch.

“We can take any type of data—structured, semi-structured, and unstructured; 3D printing procedures; or engineers’ drawings—and track them,” she said.

The tracking app can read any bar code and can even track nanoparticles or powders of the type used in additive manufacturing. Compatible with all standard software systems, it’s also deployable by iPhone (in applications where security protocols don’t ban the use of such mobile devices) to snap a photo of the bar code.

An unforeseen but anticipated high-demand use for the 14bis solution is maintaining interoperability—ensuring all software and applications used within an organization are up-to-date and of the same version.

The Boston-based U.S. company started as an MIT prize-winning project, then was selected for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Afwerks Fusion Challenge, an accelerator program that aims to bring cutting-edge innovations into the service. 14bis is currently working on projects for the USAF and BAE Systems. Citing non-disclosure agreements, Mitch declined to provide further details.

Going forward, Mitch foresees “more stringent requirements regarding provenance” of parts, materials, and data in aerospace applications, and believes 14bis is ideally positioned to offer a solution. This week at the Paris Air Show, the company is eager to meet with “people interested in tracking physical or digital data.”