Scalability Solutions in Blockchain-Supported Manufacturing: A Survey

Abstract

Researchers in the field of smart manufacturing have recognized the benefits of blockchain technology, which solves the trust problem in the open network without relying on any trusted third party. Blockchain technology enables interaction between otherwise competing manufacturing entities to satisfy increasing customer demands in a trustful way. However, existing blockchain networks are facing limitations, which are defined by the trade-off between scalability, decentralization, and security. The scalability of the blockchain network is defined as the ability of the network to support an increasing load of transactions and it is lower compared to the non-blockchain systems. In order to omit the effects of the limitations, scalability solutions are being presented. This research reviews the literature in the field of blockchain-supported manufacturing concerning scalability solutions. The selected literature has been reviewed and classified according to the type of scalability solution. For each type of scalability solution, the main features of the concepts and connection between blockchain technology and manufacturing system are highlighted and discussed. The main findings of the study are that Layer 1 scalability solutions are better represented in the literature and are predominating in the case of general smart manufacturing systems, whereas Layer 2 scalability solutions are better represented in the case of specific smart manufacturing systems. Based on insights obtained from the presented analysis, future directions and open issues regarding the scalability limitations and solutions in blockchain-supported manufacturing are presented.