An important step towards the technology's practical use was made in 2013, five years after the project's commencement, when IBM researchers created a platform for gathering and managing data on pharmaceutical distribution. Lee Munyeon, the program's general manager, claims that pharmaceutical firms are curious to learn "how to put data about shipments at the service of my procurement teams." Whether or not they are put in the right container, the corporation believes that this can prevent mistakes. A system for accelerating product shipping routes through the seaports of China, Singapore, and Indonesia is the basis of IBM's business.