A North Carolina-based brewing company is improving the beer-bottling process with help from artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT).

After noticing that some of its bottles on the factory line were being filled with more foam than others, cofounders of the Sugar Creek Brewing Company turned to AI and IoT sensors to remedy a problem that was costing them roughly $30,000 a month.

The beer makers placed IoT sensors from the tech company Bosch on its supply line to gather data and monitor production factors including fill time, pH, gravity, temperature, carbonation, pressure and beer level. That data was then analyzed by the IBM Watson IoT Platform on IBM Cloud, which generated suggestions for reducing waste and downtime.

According to the company, the system quickly identified the issue responsible for the excessive foaming, which required a simple line improvement. Correcting the issue that had plagued the brewer for months is saving the Sugar Creek Brewing Company roughly $10,000 a month. The founders commented that analyzing data about supply line factors can inform new processes or refine existing ones to maintain a high-quality product.

Sugar Creek founders Joe Vogelbacher and Eric Flanigan said, "Now, we can immediately point out a problem bottle. In addition, we have more controlled, precise fermentations which leads to a better flavor in the bottle."

This is not the first industry where AI is making an imprint. For instance, it is being explored as a possible solution for issues ranging from safe ship navigation to spicing up meals.