Walk into most factories today and you’ll see an array of display screens, digital signs and indicator lights presenting real-time production data directly on the shop floor. This real-time visual access to operational metrics and status is known as visual management and it is revolutionizing quality control and driving significant performance gains.
Visual management breaks down information silos and brings transparency to manufacturing operations. Combined with Andon systems for monitoring and responding to issues, visual performance tools enable a proactive and collaborative approach to optimizing work on the factory floor.
Bringing Problems to Light
Legacy manufacturing often relied on after-the-fact reports and stale data for quality and process control. Visual management displays live production statistics, alerts, and notices directly where the work happens – for all team members to see in real time.
Digital performance dashboards showcase metrics like production counts, rates, downtime, yield and quality assurance results. Visual alerts and notification screens highlight emerging issues like equipment faults, process deviations or out-of-spec products as they occur.
This real-time visibility facilitates rapid identification and resolution of problems before they escalate. Rather than reacting to failures, teams can proactively optimize systems and prevent disruptions.
Enabling Swift Corrective Action
Visual management builds natural accountability on the floor. Metric boards and Andon displays often incorporate mechanisms allowing workers to trigger alerts when issues arise.
Pressing an Andon column instantly signals a problem like an equipment jam or component shortage. Alerts may be accompanied by audible tones or flashing beacons drawing further attention.
By closing the gap between detection and correction, problems can be remedied in minutes rather than hours or days. This minimizes downtime and mitigates quality escapes.
Empowering Team Collaboration
Visual tools get everyone on the same page regarding current manufacturing performance and priorities. Floor teams can come together to rapidly troubleshoot issues visualized on Andon boards and displays.
This aligns groups from maintenance, quality, and engineering around shared objectives like OEE improvement or defect reduction. It breaks the paradigm of isolated departments by enabling collective ownership of production outcomes.
Driving a Culture of Continuous Improvement
The transparency of visual management opens doors for ongoing enhancement. Once inefficiencies become visible, they quickly become actionable. The floor essentially transforms into a laboratory for refining work methods and processes.
As teams address the problems illuminated, new possibilities for reducing waste, balancing workloads, and smoothing flows become apparent. Incremental tweaks and changes compound over weeks and months, as visual tools fuel a culture of continuous improvement.
Versacall Visual Solutions
Versacall offers integrated visual management and Andon technologies customized to the needs of each manufacturing environment. Our solutions transform production data into dynamic, easy-to-interpret floor displays for maximizing quality and performance.
- Live dashboards with OEE, efficiency, quality, downtime, and throughput metrics
- Real-time alarms and notifications for emerging equipment faults or process issues
- Andon columns with indicator lights signaling specific problems
- Digital messaging displays with instructions and production information
- Data integration with Versacall MES and external sources
- Robust industrial displays purpose-built for harsh plant conditions
Let Versacall help you realize the benefits of visual management on your own shop floor. Contact us today to get started.
