Andon Visual Monitoring Systems

Main article: Lean production methods

2020: How to use IIoT to upgrade Andon systems

Andon systems are an effective tool for visualizing control and signal delivery in production. In 2020, thanks to the widespread distribution of IIoT, it became possible to modernize such systems. For example, you can consider the process of driving a car, it should be perceived as a process variable in time.

When driving, you must visually measure distances and adjust as you travel by driving or using gas or brakes Stephen Perry Senior Control Engineer Tyson Foods

Drivers should ensure that the car remains within the marking, as well as avoid getting on the fences. Full automation, in the form of unmanned vehicles with automatic control, has not yet been completely achieved. Partial automation - in the form of lane departure warning systems and other driver assistants - can issue alerts so that drivers can quickly take the necessary actions. The production line is another process with variability, although much more complex. To "stay out of the way," companies used Andon indicators flashing green, yellow, or red to illustrate how processes work. The introduction of automation tools will change the Andon system in the company to provide a wider range of information.

You can create the equivalent of a lane departure warning system to help team members quickly take action to keep production lines at a given level. Such a system will ensure continuous measurement of the actual quantity of products and quality in accordance with specifications, with alerts "targets not met" sent by e-mail to the production management team. This is far from the traditional Andon indicators, which have been introduced into the production environment for decades, reliably demonstrating the state of the equipment or process, giving visual tips when there are quality problems. Traffic lights - the so-called "Christmas trees" with red, yellow and green have become a key element of lean production.

Andon gives operators the opportunity to seek help, stop the line and fix the problem. This is one of the principles of frugality. John Oskin, President of Sage Clarity Solutions, Andon Solution Provider

But the traditional Andon indicators have ceased to meet the requirements of the time without being connected to other devices and limited in their communication capabilities. Earlier Andon alerts were called manually by a worker using a cord or button, and were rarely activated automatically by the production equipment itself. The most complex of these systems included means to stop production so that the problem could be fixed.

Now the development of intelligent communication technologies has expanded the use of Andon alerts, making them an integral part of the Industry 4.0 initiative. The next generation Andon indicators perform everything from calculating and displaying the efficiency of the production process and overall equipment efficiency (OEE) to comparing real results with planned ones and receiving service requests from stopped machines. They collect data from sales room equipment and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors by sending email or SMS notifications to interested personnel terminals, and integrate with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

Right on the display

Andon systems provide production teams with an immediate and continuous view of the status of their processes. The need to update Andon systems became clear when analyzing their work and the main drawback was found: after-fact alerts do not allow you to effectively monitor processes in workshops.

It is too late to look at production performance during late-shift meetings or the next morning. You can't change the past. Stephen Perry

Even periodic quality checks - for example, every 30 minutes or every hour - are not good enough, since the accuracy of the sample is too small. To truly understand performance, all elements must be included in the calculation. Due to the many technologies used in production today, people can sometimes forget that the workshop is not yet fully automated. Individual machines are often automated, but automation of entire production lines is not widespread enough. Consider next-generation Andon indicators as a way to combine automation and people into a team. On new cars, automated systems are used to help the driver. Therefore, Andon dashboards need to display key performance indicators and other results to help team members maintain the production process at a given level. Good Andon indicators should demonstrate results that are easy to understand and see from any place where members of the production team can work, for example, a very large font on several large displays. Ease of use is important. Things that are not easy to use should not be used. For the Andon display, it makes no sense to show complex statistics or graphics that few people understand. Another feature is that if people have to go somewhere to see the display, then the display will most likely be ignored and ineffective.

Among other things, the question remains how to encourage employees to pay more attention to Andon. As a motivator, you can use the information that everyone uses, for example, place a weather forecast on displays.

Andon as a means of continuous improvement

Another approach to implementing the system can be a software environment that can connect to various devices and types of equipment, providing real-time communication.

Instead of focusing solely on quality issues that need to be fixed, such Andon software can raise alarms for safety, materials, and maintenance reasons, in addition to quality. Such software can create troubleshooting requests for Andon from a smartphone, tablet or any other iOS or Android device at the initiative of the human operator and the equipment itself. Manufacturers can choose to deploy the system to a public, private, or local cloud.

Next-generation Andon systems extend communications between operators and engineers with combined digital signage at production sites, Andon lamps, and email alerts. Troubleshooting problems without delay helps reduce downtime, improve OEE, and improve quality.

Such a system offers role-based alerts to notify the right person at the right time, depending on the type and location of the alert. It integrates with existing Andon LED systems as well as with MES and ERP systems. Operators can be notified of smart device selection with built-in reports to track alerts over time and response time.

The necessary investments can be quite manageable. For example, you can buy a 60-inch TV, place it in the workshop in a prominent place, for a lower price than the purchase of outdated Andon LED boards. With the correct location, everyone will be able to immediately see which applications are open, how long they were opened, how the line works through OEE and other parameters.

Large automation vendors, such as SAP, have plant service modules that track production problems, but usually focus only on point service options (e.g. IBM Maximo or analogues). They can make it possible to organize an assistance call in their applications, but they usually focus only on service, not on quality, security, or material shortages.