ANDON

Andon is a manufacturing term referring to a system to notify management,

maintenance, and other workers of a quality or process problem. The alert can
be activated manually by a worker using a pullcord or button, or may be
activated automatically by the production equipment itself. The system may
include a means to stop production so the issue can be corrected. Some
modern alert systems incorporate audio alarms, text, or other displays.
The origin of term Andon is from a Japanese word for traditional paper lantern.
An Andon is one of the most common forms of visual management that is in
use in Lean. It is a highly effective tool as it enables the operation to run
smoothly without any bottlenecks.

An Andon system is one of the principal elements of the Jidoka quality control
method pioneered by Toyota as part of the Toyota Production system and now
part of Lean approach. Jidoka means ‘empowering the employees’, and here
Andon directs operator’s attention to the assembly line to identify the status of
the process and take corresponding actions with utmost significance. Under
Lean Newsletter 2021
this process, operator/ employee is empowered and informed to pull an andon
cord in the assembly line when abnormalities occur.

Andons are the lighted signal like the traffic lights with three colors on top of
each level of production assembly line. Whenever a worker detected any
problem in the production line, or found himself unable to keep pace with the
line, he could stop the operation by pulling a cord called ‘andon’ cord, which
would set off an alarm system and illuminate the color coded andon electric
light board..

Andon cords and their significance

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These three colors signal are broadly used in many manufacturing industries.
Warning light on your car’s dashboard that indicates when the gas tank is
getting close to empty, is a simple day-to- day example of an andon that we
come across.

Types of Andons:
Manual: Andons are activated manually by the operator/employee in the
assembly line by either,

 Pressing static button

 Pulling a cord

Automatic: Andons are activates automatically on the conveyor when criteria

fixed in the assembly line are not met or lacking.

Andons intitally were light signals in the manufacturing process to enable

operator to signal the status based on the color. Today, visual displays are
more sophisticated; however, their purpose remains the same, communicating
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efficiency and real-time status of the plant floor.
2021
Benefits of Lean Manufacturing Andon
 Improve transparency: Encourage immediate reaction to quality, down
time, and safety problems.
 Increase productivity: Bring immediate attention to problems as they
occur in the manufacturing process.
 Strengthen flexibility: Improve accountability of operators by increasing
their responsibility for good production and empowering them to take
action when problems occur.
 Reduce downtime: Improve the ability of supervisors/operators to
quickly identify and resolve manufacturing issues.
 Save costs and time: Provide a simple and consistent mechanism for
communicating information on the plant floor.

In next letter we will discuss about Bottleneck & its Analysis

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish

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