Carlton United Breweries

Keg Monitoring

Working together with Binary Beer (Binary Tech's Brewing industry brand) bespoke keg monitoring sensors were designed and trialled during 2019. This successful trial was the first step towards monitoring every keg in the CUB fleet, ensuring Australian beer drinkers always receive the best quality experience.

Obstacles

• Connectivity
• Beer kegs spend most of their time in cool rooms and on trucks, where traditional methods don’t work.
• Durability
• As well as being exposed to the elements and some fairly rough treatment, kegs undergo rapid temperature changes and chemical saturation during the cleaning cycle.
• Cost
• Beer kegs are a relatively low cost asset. In order to be viable a keg monitor must be cost effective.
• In The Field
• Kegs spend most of their time away from the brewery that owns them, so sensors need to be low maintenance.
• Attachment
• Beer kegs are filled under pressure. As such any sensor must not cause weakness in the keg.

Outcomes

Key actionable insights were gained across many business departments:

• Quality Monitoring
• Customer Management
• Attrition
• Production
• Sales
• Supply
• Logistics
• Asset Management