Automotive manufacturers face a lot of challenges in today’s market, from the difficulties of fostering positive customer relationships to the challenges encountered during vehicle production. On top of that, companies face fierce competition from other brands which means they’ve got to try to be excellent in every aspect of their business.

In automotive manufacturing, companies need to be able to be as efficient as they possibly can so they can keep their costs minimal and be price competitive. This means reducing waste during the production process. Waste manifests itself in two key ways: time and material waste.

When machines break or production personnel run into issues, production comes to a halt. Every second of downtime equates to an increase in cost. The same goes for material waste, when machines or personnel put out product that’s damaged or doesn’t meet quality control standards, parts may need to be thrown away, or reworked, and costs increase.

So what options do manufacturers have when these things happen?

Enter Andon systems. Originally developed in Japan many years ago, Andon systems help automotive manufacturers decrease downtime and reduce waste, effectively lowering costs and boosting output. This article covers Andon systems and how their helping automotive manufacturers all over the world cut costs and be more competitive.

What Are Andons?

In manufacturing, Andons refer to a status-display station. It’s a common form of visual management, so if there is a problem on the production floor, workers and manufacturing managers will be aware of it immediately. It’s a significant factor in Lean management techniques, and it is a useful tool that enables an operation to run as smoothly as possible. Toyota uses Andon systems in their manufacturing plants to direct the management’s attention to the assembly line when there is a problem. Other well known brands like Harley Davidson use a wireless Andon system by VersaCall for the same purpose.

How Do Andons Systems Work to Solve Issues In Automotive Manufacturing?

While each manufacturing process will require a specific number of components, Andon systems are essentially comprised of several hardware components and a software solution. The Versacall Andon System for automotive and truck manufacturers, for example, is comprised of wireless input modules strategically located throughout the production line, including the sub-assembly work stations, plus visual displays located in key areas for production managers to view real-time statuses of each aspect of the production process.

If there is a problem on the line or at a sub-assembly station, or a worker cannot keep pace with the line, the worker can hit a button on the input module which will immediately notify managers (via alarm, texts, radio, and visual display notification) of the problem so they can fix the problem as quickly as possible.

When problems that have been picked up aren’t fixed within a specified time period, the entire production line can be stopped, ensuring that the efficiency levels go down and halting production going forward. However, while this sounds negative, Andons are positive in a manufacturing production line because they pick up issues and can stop production to allow time to fix them. If Andons were not a part of the production line, there is the chance that things going wrong wouldn’t be picked up, which would waste both time and money while those issues were rectified.

Another extremely valuable aspect of Andon systems is that many of these systems go beyond real-time production status by recording data during the production process. These analytics can then be used to generate insightful reports for Continuous Improvement Managers who can then make data driven decisions to improve the production processes.

If production managers are able to respond to issues faster, and continuous managers are able to leverage data from their Andon systems to improve the production process, then it’s easy to see why Andon systems can decrease downtime and increase output.

How Andons Help Your Competitive Advantage

If an automotive company is using an Andon system as part of its lean manufacturing goals, they will likely see their costs reduced, output increased, and their profit margins increased. Increased margins allows manufacturers to be more price competitive because it gives them more flexibility to reduce their price.

Andon is the Japanese term for a signaling system within a production/processing line. These systems are a communication tool and are used to tell others the status of a production line to everyone on the production floor. They’re a very common tool in the manufacturing industry as more companies look for more ways to improve their production processes.

Andon boards usually have a comprehensive set of signals on display, including KPIs or data that involve the production process. They can help the production workers with their communication on the factory floor, aiding in quality control by stopping production where necessary and when they happen. Andons help manufacturers to accomplish their Lean manufacturing goals by streamlining the communications process on the manufacturing floor, and they’re an essential component in efficiency.

What Is “Lean” Manufacturing?

Lean manufacturing is a system of techniques for running a manufacturing service. The way it works is to remove all activities in a business process that does not add value. It also removes waste from a business process. There are eight different defined types of waste – the unnecessary work that is performed as a result of errors or miscommunication. Often, professionals debate whether there is more than that, but the best way to remember the types of waste is with the acronym DOWNTIME. The eight pieces of waste include:

• Defects
• Overproduction
• Waiting
• Non-used Talent
• Transportation
• Inventory
• Motion
• Extra-Processing

When your business uses Lean manufacturing principles, you can gain a competitive advantage in improved productivity and lower operating costs. There are so many benefits for a company implementing Lean principles in their workplace, and many believe – mistakenly – that Lean only works in manufacturing. It’s not the case, but it’s the first place that companies implement it because it works.

Why Manufacturers Are Trying To Be Lean

A lean manufacturer understands the customer and their value, and they focus their processes to increase it continuously. The goal for a manufacturer is to provide the perfect value to the customer with a process with zero waste. When a manufacturer accomplishes this, lean thinking is in place as it changes management focus from the optimization of separate technologies, assets and vertical departments to product flow. Eliminating waste through these value streams create processes that are leaner than previously done, and that requires a lot less human effort, less capital and less space. Companies will then be able to respond faster to the changing needs of the customer, while also offering high quality and variety to them at a low cost.

What Are The Goals Of Lean Manufacturing?

The primary goal of Lean manufacturing lies in the improvement of quality, cost and delivery parameters for a business. This all leads to the enhancement of customer satisfaction, remaining continually focused on the improvements on offer. There are four specific goals of Lean manufacturing, which are explored in detail below:

Improving Quality

Manufacturers have to focus on producing and delivering products that remain high-quality to be able to stay ahead of the competition in their industry. There are a lot of ways to improve the quality of their manufacturing, but Lean is the best way to do it. If you can reduce the waste in your processes, then you can focus on the product and invest the time into making it better.

Waste Reduction

The most crucial goal of Lean manufacturing is to reduce waste. Manufacturers produce a lot of waste, which can be even more than companies that are operating in other industries. It’s just how it works in an industry so big. If your business was to focus on the principles of lean manufacturing, you’ll find that you’re better able to reduce waste and become more eco-friendly.

Cutting Back Energy

When you reduce waste, you cut back on energy use and embrace more green, eco-friendly methods. When this happens, you can reduce your carbon footprint as a company and do better for the environment.

Cost Reduction

Reducing costs is the last goal. The more waste you cut, the more costs you reduce at the same time. When products are created faster, the total costs are reduced and lowering your costs allows you to be competitive in the market. This is essential for success!

Benefits Of Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing improves business productivity, and there are many benefits to using it in your business. These include:

• Improved customer service because you are delivering exactly what your customers want
• Improving productivity and adding value per person
• Quality improvements and reducing defects and reworks
• Improvements in innovation with staff fully involved – this is where morale improves, and there is better participation in the business
• Less waste in transport, moving, waiting, physical waste and space
• Better lead times with products and business response
• Better stock turns as there is less work in progress and inventory issues.

How Andon Systems Are An Essential Component Of Lean Manufacturing

Andon systems are integral to the lean manufacturing option because they are there to improve productivity and inform when there are issues with the production process. They have warning lights that are incorporated into an overhead signboard, and this can warn everyone in the manufacturing process that there is a problem and in which area the problem has been identified. It’s a method to stop the process to allow the team to analyze the problem and fix it. This then prevents the entire manufacturing process from continuing to produce products that are defective.

Andon systems work to help a business to eliminate waste and alert when there are improvements to be made. The communication aspect of Andon systems is vital for a manufacturing business, and it’s for this reason that they fit into lean manufacturing goals so well. When processes are running smoothly, the entire manufacturing operation works well, ensuring that a manufacturing business stays ahead of the competition and produces excellent products.

Manufacturing in the Aerospace industry is extremely challenging. The manufacturing process is often very complex with production managers having to manage a plethora of parts, tools, and people that make up this process. On top of that, aerospace manufacturers face strict quality control (QC) standards, and with the threat of ballooning costs always on the horizon, they need to be able to effectively manage all the parts of the process and spot issues on the production floor quickly so that they can resolve them efficiently.

Efficiency is all about getting the right parts, tools, and people in the right place at the right time to maximize all aspects of the production process. When one element of the chain is delayed, or a particular process takes longer than expected, manufacturing efficiency drops and costs go up.

Thankfully, there are systems that manufacturers can put in place that help tackle the problem. These systems are known as andon systems and they’ve been used to improve the manufacturing process for many years.

An Introduction to Andon Systems

Originating from Japan, an andon system is a custom network of individual andons which includes such things as lights, sirens, display screens, and more. These individual components, as part of a complete andon system, are an excellent way to increase productivity, improve efficiency and enhance quality control. By alerting workers and production managers to potential issues in the production process, andon systems enable workers and managers to quickly check the production or assembly line, and resolve quality control issues before they’re able to have a detrimental impact on a significant amount of stock or materials. Andon systems also enable aerospace manufacturing managers to measure and record response and resolve times, view real-time dashboards for better visualization of status at all manual workstations and automatic machines on the production floor, and run reports that provide insight into problem areas and how to fix them. In short, andon systems allow manufacturers to resolve issues before they occur and cause downtime.

How an Aerospace Andon System Works

Andons systems for aerospace provide complete visibility of production status at every stage of the production status. This is achieved with wireless input modules that are strategically placed throughout the manufacturing floor. These input modules capture all production performance information including: operator efficiency, machine and assembly time, location, downtime occurrences with reason for downtime, and safety incidents.

What an Aerospace Andon System Looks Like

Every manufacturer’s andon system will be customized to their specific process. However, in this example will show you a typical setup for an aerospace component manufacturer.

Visual Status – Total Production Floor By Line

• One Screen provides the entire status of the production floor. Screens may be in the form of flat screens attached to walls or stands, and mobile devices in personnel hands.
• This visibility includes which work order is at which step.
• It also indicates if the work order has an issue by color designations.

Drill Down Provides Step Production Visibility

• Click on the main screen and you now see the detailed status of the production step.
• Information includes both work order completion status, and the percentage of completion.

Drill Down Screen Also Provides Location On/Behind Schedule Visibility

• The Drill Down screen from the main plant screen also provides where the work order is and whether it is on schedule for the planned production time or if it is behind schedule.
• Automatic immediate communications are sent out when the work order is behind schedule or there is an issue.

Immediate Communication Of Issues

• Production floor issues are immediately communicated to the appropriate individuals. Response time is captured for each incident. This includes work orders with issues. All this information, including root causes, are automatically recorded in a database for reporting.
• All production disruptions are minimized with the VersaCall System.

Andons Decrease Downtime & Increase Productivity

In aerospace manufacturing, an andon system works to send the data directly to the right people so that production managers can be on top of every stage of the production process at all times. As one might imagine, this decreases downtime because managers are made aware of issue immediately so that they can take corrective action. Because important information about the production process is recorded and stored, managers can then use that information to optimize their processes and increase overall output.

Andons & The Competitive Advantage

If an aerospace manufacturing company is using an Andon System as part of their goal for efficiency, they will notice that they have reduced their costs, increased their margins, decreased downtime, increased production output, and eliminated as much waste as possible. Manufacturers using VersaCall Systems, for example, experience an average of 10-12% reduction in downtime and 5-12% increase in output, resulting in a savings of $590,000 per year. This enables them to position themselves better in terms of price and be a step ahead of the competition in the market.

Customizing an Andon System for You

For more information about how the our VersaCall system can be implemented into your aerospace manufacturing process, see our system application white paper on a “Aerospace Component Manufacturer” If you would like to learn more about how a versacall system can be added to your manufacturing facility specifically, please feel free to schedule a free demo with our team. We help aerospace manufacturers, such as UTC Aerospace, minimize costs and downtime, while increasing output. We’d love to be able to do the same for you.

As a Mattress Manufacturer, you’re well aware of the huge mountain of competition when it comes to selling your mattresses and related accessories to consumers. You do your best to differentiate yourself from the other guys and keep your prices competitive, but your margins are getting thinner and thinner.

So what can you do?

You’ve got to be able to cut production costs, and you’ve got to do that without sacrificing product quality, right? That’s why many manufacturers like you are looking for systems that can help them become more lean. In other words, they look for systems to help them run more efficiently and reduce waste in the production process. One of the systems that can help is known as an Andon System.

Put simply, an Andon System is a customized network of individual Andons which includes lights, sirens, display screens, and more. These individual components, as part of a complete Andon System, are an effective way to increase productivity, improve efficiency and enhance quality control. By alerting workers to potential issues in the production process, andons enable your production workers and managers to manually check the production or assembly line, and resolve quality control issues before they’re able to have a detrimental impact on a significant amount of stock or materials. Andon Systems also enable mattress manufacturing managers to measure and record response and resolve times, view real-time dashboards for better visualization of status at all manual workstations and automatic machines on the production floor, and run reports that provide insight into problem areas and how to fix them. In short, Andon Systems allow manufacturers to resolve issues before they occur and cause downtime.

Let’s dive deeper into the subject of Andons…

Understanding the Role of Andons

What are Andons?

Originating in Japan, andons are used to alert staff when there is a problem during the production process. Designed to alert workers in real-time, andons allow production to be ceased so that corrective measures can be taken immediately.

In doing so, andons can save manufacturers a significant amount of time and money. By preventing sub-par or faulty goods from being produced, andons ensure that production lines are able to operate efficiently and prevent costly materials from being wasted.

How do Andons work?

Andons can take various forms, and they’re often created in response to a specific company need. Depending on how the manufacturing process is set up, andons may appear as an audible alarm, a lighting system or even a wireless system which enables remote workers to be notified, even if they’re near the production line at the time.

Essentially, an andon will alert you if and when a problem occurs during production. When manual workers are assembling products, they may have manual andons they can trigger to alert other staff of a problem, for example. Whilst manual andons are still widely-used in the manufacturing industry, the move towards automated processes has lead to andons being built into machinery and equipment.

When andons are automated, the system itself will trigger the alarm in order to alert staff. As manufacturing equipment is now particularly advanced, it is able to recognise when something is amiss and will trigger the andon automatically. Depending on the manufacturer’s requirements, the triggering of an andon could also automatically cease production, thus preventing materials from being wasted. Once an employee has checked the issue and corrected any problems, production can be restarted and the andon reset.

The Use of Andons in Mattress Manufacturing

Mattresses tend to be big-ticket items, so any reduction in quality can be extremely costly for businesses. If materials are damaged or wasted due to poor quality control or faulty production, it has a significant impact on the company’s bottom line.

Although andons are important in any type of manufacturing or production, they are particularly vital when expensive items are being produced. Whilst a manufacturer may be able to write off the cost of lower ticket items, if mattresses are damaged during production, the cost can mount up and be catastrophic for the company.

Despite being a big-ticket item, manufacturers are working with very thin margins, so any loss has a considerable impact. Furthermore, if time has been wasted because an issue wasn’t noticed quickly, this reduces productivity, and subsequently increases costs further.

By incorporating andons into the production process, however, mattress manufacturers can ensure staff are notified of production line issues immediately and ensure that corrective action is taken swiftly.

Customizing an Andon System for You

For more information about how the our VersaCall system can be implemented into your mattress manufacturing process, see our system application white paper on a “Build to order Mattress Production System.” If you would like to learn more about how a versacall system can be added to your manufacturing facility specifically, please feel free to schedule a free demo with our team. We help manufacturers all over the world minimize costs and downtime, while increasing output. We’d love to be able to do the same for you.