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The dark side of Bitcoin/Cryptocurrency

2 minutes, 29 seconds read

What is Bitcoin/Cryptocurrency?

“Cryptocurrency is a digital currency that is managed by using one of the most advanced encryption techniques called cryptography to secure its transactions. Bitcoin was the first decentralized cryptocurrency that was created in 2009.”

Bitcoin is crushing the markets with its high evaluations and a lot of interest from general people. It is not the only one, there are now a plethora of cryptocurrencies that people trade in the not so traditional market place. In fact, there are exclusive platforms, especially for trading cryptocurrencies. There is overall a general excitement about the whole cryptocurrency industry if you will categorize it so. 

While these are highly secure transactions, there is a darker side to the whole story as well. This is without even looking at the rapid fluctuations in the pricing of bitcoins or how many new forms they are coming in. We are listing some of the forbidden or undiscovered factors that may not be great for the general acceptance of bitcoins/cryptocurrencies.

1. Inefficient for retail

The cryptocurrency transactions rely on blockchain technology which is a mutual agreement-based system. The blockchain technology involves sharing, updating, and validating ledgers (contracts) at multiple places, making the system very slow for retail transactions. In such scenarios, cash and cards are much faster.

[Related – What is blockchain technology?]

2. Lack of market regulations

Currently, there are no legit market regulations for trading cryptocurrencies. Even the governments are skeptical about the viability of bitcoins. Therefore no government-regulated financial institutions support the transaction of cryptocurrencies (e.g. encashing). Moreover, because of a lack of regulations, cryptocurrencies are extremely difficult to track and that’s why people often use it for dark trading. Thus, bitcoins are prone to bring financial chaos if all transactions are beyond the control of regulators.

[Related: Does Smart Contracts work for India Inc.?]

3. Power inefficiency

Mining cryptocurrency consumes a lot of electricity and it may take nearly 25% of the miner’s revenue. Unless we have renewable sources of energy, it’s really not worth it. For instance, mining bitcoins in India takes almost INR 180000 worth of electricity. So, if the Indian economy were to run completely on bitcoins, all of the world’s electricity will not be sufficient to support the transactions.

4. Parallel Economy

When you can’t track the money, people start leveraging it for illegal transactions. Using it on the Dark Web, Money Laundering, ransom demands are just a few of those use cases. 

The fact is — these problems are similar to the ones we have with the cash economy. If the problem remains (or aggravates), then there is no point in opting for digital currency.

[Related: How Forex Trading Is Going To Be Affected By Cryptocurrency?]

Bitcoin/Cryptocurrency: Should you go for it or not?

We’re not the naysayers. Blockchain is a great technology and is indeed useful for financial transactions. However, it does not target day-to-day transactions. There are several higher-level applications of blockchain viz. Insurance, supply-chain, data transfer, etc. for which the technology is proving fruitful. 

About the author: Kumar Sambhav is the CTO at Mantra Labs. He is a pro in Business Processes, Requirements Analysis and Agile Methodologies. He always enjoys exploring trending technologies – be it cloud computing, blockchain, artificial intelligence, AR or VR.

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Smart Manufacturing Dashboards: A Real-Time Guide for Data-Driven Ops

Smart Manufacturing starts with real-time visibility.

Manufacturing companies today generate data by the second through sensors, machines, ERP systems, and MES platforms. But without real-time insights, even the most advanced production lines are essentially flying blind.

Manufacturers are implementing real-time dashboards that serve as control towers for their daily operations, enabling them to shift from reactive to proactive decision-making. These tools are essential to the evolution of Smart Manufacturing, where connected systems, automation, and intelligent analytics come together to drive measurable impact.

Data is available, but what’s missing is timely action.

For many plant leaders and COOs, one challenge persists: operational data is dispersed throughout systems, delayed, or hidden in spreadsheets. And this delay turns into a liability.

Real-time dashboards help uncover critical answers:

  • What caused downtime during last night’s shift?
  • Was there a delay in maintenance response?
  • Did a specific inventory threshold trigger a quality issue?

By converting raw inputs into real-time manufacturing analytics, dashboards make operational intelligence accessible to operators, supervisors, and leadership alike, enabling teams to anticipate problems rather than react to them.

1. Why Static Reports Fall Short

  • Reports often arrive late—after downtime, delays, or defects have occurred.
  • Disconnected data across ERP, MES, and sensors limits cross-functional insights.
  • Static formats lack embedded logic for proactive decision support.

2. What Real-Time Dashboards Enable

Line performance and downtime trends
Track OEE in real time and identify underperforming lines.

Predictive maintenance alerts
Utilize historical and sensor data to identify potential part failures in advance.

Inventory heat maps & reorder thresholds
Anticipate stockouts or overstocks based on dynamic reorder points.

Quality metrics linked to operator actions
Isolate shifts or procedures correlated with spikes in defects or rework.

These insights allow production teams to drive day-to-day operations in line with Smart Manufacturing principles.

3. Dashboards That Drive Action

Role-based dashboards
Dashboards can be configured for machine operators, shift supervisors, and plant managers, each with a tailored view of KPIs.

Embedded alerts and nudges
Real-time prompts, like “Line 4 below efficiency threshold for 15+ minutes,” reduce response times and minimize disruptions.

Cross-functional drill-downs
Teams can identify root causes more quickly because users can move from plant-wide overviews to detailed machine-level data in seconds.

4. What Powers These Dashboards

Data lakehouse integration
Unified access to ERP, MES, IoT sensor, and QA systems—ensuring reliable and timely manufacturing analytics.

ETL pipelines
Real-time data ingestion from high-frequency sources with minimal latency.

Visualization tools
Custom builds using Power BI, or customized solutions designed for frontline usability and operational impact.

Smart Manufacturing in Action: Reducing Market Response Time from 48 Hours to 30 Minutes

Mantra Labs partnered with a North American die-casting manufacturer to unify its operational data into a real-time dashboard. Fragmented data, manual reporting, delayed pricing decisions, and inconsistent data quality hindered operational efficiency and strategic decision-making.

Tech Enablement:

  • Centralized Data Hub with real-time access to critical business insights.
  • Automated report generation with data ingestion and processing.
  • Accurate price modeling with real-time visibility into metal price trends, cost impacts, and customer-specific pricing scenarios. 
  • Proactive market analysis with intuitive Power BI dashboards and reports.

Business Outcomes:

  • Faster response to machine alerts
  • Quality incidents traced to specific operator workflows
  • 4X faster access to insights led to improved inventory optimization.

As this case shows, real-time dashboards are not just operational tools—they’re strategic enablers. 

(Learn More: Powering the Future of Metal Manufacturing with Data Engineering)

Key Takeaways: Smart Manufacturing Dashboards at a Glance

AspectWhat You Should Know
1. Why Static Reports Fall ShortDelayed insights after issues occur
Disconnected systems (ERP, MES, sensors)
No real-time alerts or embedded decision logic
2. What Real-Time Dashboards EnableTrack OEE and downtime in real-time
Predictive maintenance using sensor data
Dynamic inventory heat maps
Quality linked to operators
3. Dashboards That Drive ActionRole-based views (operator to CEO)
Embedded alerts like “Line 4 down for 15+ mins”
Drilldowns from plant-level to machine-level
4. What Powers These DashboardsUnified Data Lakehouse (ERP + IoT + MES)
Real-time ETL pipelines
Power BI or custom dashboards built for frontline usability

Conclusion

Smart Manufacturing dashboards aren’t just analytics tools—they’re productivity engines. Dashboards that deliver real-time insight empower frontline teams to make faster, better decisions—whether it’s adjusting production schedules, triggering preventive maintenance, or responding to inventory fluctuations.

Explore how Mantra Labs can help you unlock operations intelligence that’s actually usable.

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