CUSTOMER STORY
Danone x Tilkal
Bringing secure downstream traceability to infant formula in China
Danone’s Track & Connect is one of the most ambitious downstream traceability initiatives to date, deployed at scale across a global supply chain to improve visibility and strengthen consumer confidence. Built on Tilkal’s blockchain-based traceability platform, it secures the collection and analysis of logistics movement data for Danone’s infant formula products - including Aptamil - as they move through the distribution network in China: 120+ level-1 and level-2 wholesale warehouses integrated into a single, auditable data flow.
What's in this Customer Story?
Background
Danone’s factories serving the Chinese market are spread across Europe, Oceania, and Asia, and once product leaves the factory it flows through a dense, multi-tier wholesale network before reaching the point of purchase. That length and fragmentation made it difficult for Danone to answer a simple question with certainty: where exactly is this batch right now, and has it followed the path it should have?
Track & Connect was created to close that gap, giving Danone’s global supply chain, quality, and IT teams a shared, tamper-proof view of product movement from factory to shelf.
Scope of the Track & Connect initiative
The project covers the full downstream journey of Danone’s infant formula: from factory output in Europe, Oceania, and Asia, through China’s wholesale distribution network, down to the point of purchase. Tilkal integrated data from 120+ level-1 and level-2 wholesale warehouses, reconstructing the product journey batch by batch rather than relying on point-in-time checks or paper documentation.
Key success factors
- Interoperability with an existing, complex distribution network. Tilkal’s platform was built to plug into the wholesale ecosystem as it already operated, rather than asking 120+ partners to change how they work.
- Blockchain-secured data collection, so that logistics events recorded by different actors in the chain are auditable and cannot be altered after the fact.
- A joint Danone–Tilkal program structure, pairing Danone’s global program and IT traceability leadership with Tilkal’s technical team to keep the rollout aligned with real operational constraints in China.
- Interoperability with an existing, complex distribution network. Tilkal’s platform was built to plug into the wholesale ecosystem as it already operated, rather than asking 120+ partners to change how they work.
- Blockchain-secured data collection, so that logistics events recorded by different actors in the chain are auditable and cannot be altered after the fact.
- A joint Danone–Tilkal program structure, pairing Danone’s global program and IT traceability leadership with Tilkal’s technical team to keep the rollout aligned with real operational constraints in China.
Key outcomes
- Full visibility of infant formula flows and stocks across a network that was previously a blind spot beyond Danone’s own factories.
- Faster identification of logistical gaps in the product journey from factory to purchase.
- Stronger control, compliance, and sourcing verification, supporting Danone’s anti-fraud posture in one of its most scrutinized product categories.
- Increased consumer confidence, backed by a documented, auditable chain of custody rather than a brand promise alone.
- Full visibility of infant formula flows and stocks across a network that was previously a blind spot beyond Danone’s own factories.
- Faster identification of logistical gaps in the product journey from factory to purchase.
- Stronger control, compliance, and sourcing verification, supporting Danone’s anti-fraud posture in one of its most scrutinized product categories.
- Increased consumer confidence, backed by a documented, auditable chain of custody rather than a brand promise alone.
Key figures
- 120+ level-1 and level-2 wholesale warehouses integrated in China
- 3 continents of origin for the factories feeding the network: Europe, Oceania, and Asia
- 1 single, auditable data flow replacing fragmented, siloed tracking across the distribution network
- 120+ level-1 and level-2 wholesale warehouses integrated in China
- 3 continents of origin for the factories feeding the network: Europe, Oceania, and Asia
- 1 single, auditable data flow replacing fragmented, siloed tracking across the distribution network
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or feedback!
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