After becoming the chief data officer for IBM Analytics in 2016, Seth Dobrin (pictured, left) hit the road and talked with as many customers as he could schedule. What he learned was that IBM Corp.’s clients needed help in the data science arena.

“We found a consistent theme with our clients,” Dobrin said. “They needed help learning how to implement data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning in the enterprise. We felt very strongly that it was important for the future of IBM that all of our clients become successful at this.”

Dobrin spoke with Dave Vellante (@dvellante), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during IBM Change the Game — Winning With AI event in NYC. He was joined by Sreesha Rao (pictured, right), senior manager of IT applications at Niagara Bottling LLC, and they discussed IBM’s work with Niagara and the important role of data science implementation in the enterprise. (* Disclosure below.)

Elite team engages with customers

One outcome of those client conversations was the formation of IBM Analytics’ Data Science Elite Team earlier this year. The team consists of an international group of experts chartered to engage with customers and provide support for their data science journey. One of those customers was Niagara Bottling, the leading private label bottled water company in the United States.

Niagara had a problem. The company shipped 16 million shrink-wrapped pallets of bottled water each year, according to Rao. Yet, it was at a loss to figure out how to use data generated by its sophisticated machines to optimize the right amount of wrap.

Enter IBM Analytics. “This project was to be able to save money by trying to optimize the amount of stretch wrap that goes around a pallet,” Rao explained. “What we can save in terms of 15 to 20 percent of shrink wrap costs will amount to quite a bit.”

IBM brought in members of its data science team. who have been working with their counterparts at Niagara for the past few weeks. Although it’s too early for results yet, IBM’s offer of help was a tough one to pass up.

“It’s a strategy for helping make sure our clients are successful, and I wanted to minimize the activation energy to do that, so there’s no charge,” Dobrin said. “It’s paramount that our colleagues like Niagara know how to do this successfully in the enterprise.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of IBM Change the Game — Winning With AI event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the IBM Change the Game — Winning With AI event. Neither IBM, the event sponsor, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE