From Collaborative Logistics Theory to Implementation: A Multi-Organizational Hyperledger Fabric Network for Vertical and Horizontal Collaboration

Collaborative logistics strategies—both vertical supply-chain coordination and horizontal competitor cooperation—can improve resource utilization, service quality, and supply-chain resilience through cooperation among supply-chain actors. However, their implementation remains constrained by long-standing concerns regarding data transparency, confidentiality, and trust, while many blockchain-based proposals remain largely conceptual and lack empirical validation. This study addresses this gap by presenting the design, implementation, and evaluation of a multi-organizational Hyperledger Fabric network supporting both vertical and horizontal collaborative logistics interactions. The proposed network models independent factories, warehouses, and clients through separate organizations connected across dedicated collaboration channels and protected by Private Data Collections for confidential information exchange. The implementation was deployed on Kubernetes and evaluated through functional validation, privacy and governance tests, and Hyperledger Caliper performance benchmarks comprising more than 3000 transactions. Results demonstrate successful execution of collaborative logistics workflows, enforcement of access-control and confidentiality requirements, and quantification of performance under varying workloads. By providing a reproducible implementation and empirical evaluation, this paper contributes practical evidence on how blockchain technology can support collaborative logistics strategies beyond conceptual frameworks.