nanny consulting services: TCS implements blockchain-based system to accelerate production of Covid-19 diagnostic test kits

Tata Consultancy Services has implemented a blockchain-based digital supply chain platform that will help the Indian government’s Center for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) increase the production capacity of indigenous Covid-19 diagnostic test kits to one million test kit per day.

C-CAMP’s new project, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, is called Indigenization of Diagnostics (InDx) and aims to build a scalable supply chain ecosystem of Indian MSMEs capable of producing large quantities of reagents and other components needed for RT-qPCR -based and other diagnostic test kits for Covid-19.

The project’s goal is to eliminate supply chain bottlenecks and maintain MSMEs to help fill capacity gaps, meet required quality standards and expand capacity to produce one million test kits per day in-house.

As a technology partner of C-CAMP, the IT service provider has developed and implemented a digital supply chain platform to manage the MSME ecosystem, based on its TCS Data Marketplace solution.

The platform aggregates test kit data provided by Tier 2 and 3 kit, enzyme, primer and antibody manufacturers and provides visibility to Tier 1 suppliers and C-CAMP on supplier-specific quality levels, capabilities and inventories ecosystem-wide, enabling the latter to respond to government demand for such test kits as testing programs have increased across the country.

The platform facilitates the exchanges of standardized and controlled data between ecosystem participants using blockchain in the backend to ensure the immutability of audit logs. Due to the blockchain-based framework, TCS stated that the security and privacy protection aspects are also guaranteed.

“We are delighted to partner with C-CAMP on this bold new initiative to increase India’s testing capacity and make Covid-19 testing accessible to all Indians who need it. The TCS Data Marketplace solution is the linchpin that secures InDx’s ecosystem of micro, small and medium-sized businesses, democratizing supplier data, improving supply chain visibility, and achieving superior results for all stakeholders. The success of this initiative is an example of how ecosystem-based partnerships can be used for other mission-mode programs of national importance, ”said Dinanath Kholkar, Global Head – Analytics and Insights, TCS.