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.