Andon: calls for help and the andon board
An operator presses Call on the terminal and picks who is needed: a supervisor, maintenance, quality or material. The people of that kind are told at once. The andon board shows every call waiting and being handled, with the minutes it waited and took to fix.
PLANSFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- An operator walks across the shop to find the maintenance man while the machine stands.
- Nobody knows how long a machine waited for help.
- The same problem is reported three times, by three people.
- Material shortages at a station reach the store only when the line has stopped.
How it works
- On the shop floor terminal, press Call and choose who you need. The call is made for the machine, the job on it and the operator.
- The users of that call kind's roles are told at once, in the app inbox and by email. They see the machine, the order and who called.
- The andon board shows calls in two columns, Waiting and Being Handled. Each card shows the minutes; a call waiting 10 minutes or more turns red.
- Whoever goes presses I Am On It: the call shows who answered and when.
- When it is fixed, write What Was Done and press Close. Minutes Waiting and Minutes to Fix are kept. Open Again brings back a call closed too early.
Everything it does
Call kinds
- Ready: Supervisor (told: Supervisors), Maintenance (Maintenance Technicians), Quality (Production Managers), Material (Planners)
- Each kind has a colour and the roles told; add your own kinds
- Kept under Manufacturing > Configuration > Andon Call Kinds; administrators change them
The call
- Numbered AN/00001 and on
- For (kind), Machine / Station, Job, Production Order, Called By, Note
- States: Waiting, Being Handled, Closed
- Called At, Answered At, Answered By, Closed At, Minutes Waiting, Minutes to Fix, What Was Done
- One open call per kind and machine: pressing Call again shows the call already open
- Calls can also be raised on the board by a supervisor
The board
- Cards by state, with the machine's initials and a pill: Waiting n min (amber, red from 10 minutes), Handling n min, Closed in n min
- List view for history; filters Not Closed, Today and Called At; group by kind, machine or status
Who uses it
OperatorPresses Call on the terminal and picks who is needed.
SupervisorAnswers supervisor calls and watches the board.
Maintenance TechnicianAnswers maintenance calls, from the board or the app.
Production ManagerAnswers quality calls and reads waiting and fixing times.
Where you use it
- The shop floor terminal: the Call button
- Web: Manufacturing > Shop Floor > Andon Board (Supervisors and Maintenance Technicians)
- The SmartMy Manufacturing app: Shop Floor > Andon Board, with I Am On It and Close. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet
- Not on a TV wall screen yet: the machine board on a TV comes with OEE (Scale)
What you control
Settings
- Call kinds and the roles told: four ready; add, change or archive
- Andon Call: on, channels chosen per Entity in the notification hub
Notifications
- Andon Call: to the users of the call kind's roles in the Entity, at once, with the machine, the production order and who called. In the app inbox and by email (app push built in, not switched on yet)
- It cannot be switched off; each person can switch off email for themselves, and in-app notices always arrive
Questions
Who is told when an operator calls for quality?
To start with, the Production Managers. Change the roles told on the Quality call kind, for example to your quality inspectors.Can a call be made from somewhere other than the terminal?
Yes. A supervisor can raise a call on the andon board. The app answers and closes calls; it does not raise them.Is there a light or siren on the machine?
No. Andon is on the terminal, the board and messages. Lamps and sirens are not connected.Can we report on waiting times?
Yes. Each closed call keeps Minutes Waiting and Minutes to Fix; group the list by kind or machine to see where help is slow.Related features
SHOP FLOORThe shop floor terminal: a tablet at each machineA tablet at each machine or station shows its jobs in big tiles. Operators sign in with a PIN or badge, and start and pause jobs. They count good and rejected pieces with a reason, and stop the machine with a reason. Every count goes straight into the order.PLANNING, QUALITY AND COSTBreakdowns raised from the floor, spares and technician time costedWhen an operator stops a machine at the terminal for a breakdown reason, a repair request opens for that machine at once. The maintenance team is told. The stop time and the repair sit on one record, and the repair is costed in spares and technician time.PLANNING, QUALITY AND COSTPreventive maintenance by days, hours or cyclesEach machine gets maintenance plans that fall due by the calendar, by its running hours or by the pieces it has made. A due plan raises a maintenance request with its checklist and spares, and closing the request costs it and moves the plan on.ACROSS SMARTMY MANUFACTURINGNotificationsThe right people hear when a machine calls for help, a breakdown is raised or a quality check fails. They also hear when a job work challan is overdue or a request waits for their approval. Job workers get the challan details when material leaves. Email and the in-app inbox need no set-up.PLANNING, QUALITY AND COSTThe SmartMy Manufacturing appAn Android and iOS app for supervisors, quality inspectors and maintenance technicians. It has today's figures, production orders, machines and jobs, andon calls, quality checks and repairs. Each is shown to the people whose role allows it. Operators keep working on the terminal.
See your shop floor on it.
Tell us what you make, how many machines and people you run, and how production is recorded today. We will set up a line with you and run a job on the terminal.