Digital Andon: A Key Lever for Industrial Performance

16 October 2025

Reading time : 9 minutes

Even short production stops can result in significant operational and financial losses. For decades, Andon systems have been used to quickly signal incidents on the shop floor, particularly in the automotive and process industries. Traditionally represented by light towers or audible signals, the Andon system has evolved alongside the digitalization of factories.

Today, digital Andon is a visual system integrated with digital signage screens and connected to production data and management tools. Digital Andon enables real-time handling of anomalies and transparent communication with all teams.

What is a Digital Andon?

The term "Andon" comes from Japanese and means "lantern." Originally introduced in Toyota factories as part of the Lean Production system, Andon referred to a visual or audible device that signaled a problem on the production line. Operators could pull a cord or press a button to alert their supervisor immediately.

Digital Andon maintains this core principle of immediate problem signaling, but it can be triggered by either human action (operators) or automated processes. IoT sensors, database threshold breaches, or alerts from business tools (MES, ERP, SCADA, etc.).

1. Increased Responsiveness and Reduced Downtime

A major advantage of digital Andon is faster intervention:

Immediate detection: Automated triggers (IoT sensors, thresholds, etc.) instantly signal incidents without waiting for operator action.

Detailed alerts: Unlike traditional light towers, screens display all relevant information, including incident type, location, contact person, and elapsed time.

Visible to all: Digital signage ensures the alert is visible to everyone. Maintenance and supervision teams can act immediately.

Reduced bottlenecks: Rapid resolution prevents localized problems from halting the entire line.

The result is decreased downtime, increased equipment availability, and improved responsiveness, which becomes a competitive advantage.

2. Improved Communication and Transparency

Digital Andon does more than signal problems; it centralizes and shares valuable information.

Shared dashboards: Screens act as a single source of truth by displaying objectives, actual results, and real-time incidents.

Visual data: Charts, gauges, and indicators enable quick situation understanding and root cause identification.

Enhanced transparency: Every team member sees the same information, which fosters accountability and trust.

Stronger cohesion: Involving operators, technicians, and management in problem-resolution efforts promotes a culture of continuous improvement.

3. Additional benefits

Beyond responsiveness and communication, digital Andon offers other strategic advantages:

HSE and Safety: Immediate reporting of safety incidents and dissemination of hazard instructions.

Paperless: Eliminates the need for manual documentation; information is digital and displayed directly.

Multi-site and Scalable: Control multiple workshops or sites from a centralized platform.

IoT integration: Connected sensors automatically detect anomalies such as temperature, vibration, and energy.

Criteria	Traditional Andon	Digital Andon
Medium	Light towers and signals	Digital signage screens and connected dashboards
Information Type	Simple signal (light or sound)	Detailed: Issue type, affected workstation, elapsed time and metrics
Alert Scope	Local, visible only in the workshop	Wider distribution: workshop, entire site or multiple sites.
Responsiveness	Manual detection before intervention	Immediate, contextualized alerts for rapid action
Communication	One-way (operator → supervisor)	Centralized and collaborative, involving all teams
Exploitable Data	Little or no historical data	Historical tracking, cause analysis and performance indicators
Flexibility	Limited to pre-set signals	Configurable: IoT, ERP, MES, PLM and WMS integration, Custom widgets
Main Goal	Signal stoppage or anomaly	Support real-time management, transparency, and continuous improvement.

How to Implement Digital Andon

A structured approach ensures effectiveness and is designed according to operational realities:

1. Identify Critical Flows

The first step is to identify the areas where responsiveness is crucial: sensitive production lines, key quality control stages, maintenance interventions, or logistics flows. These are the points where a digital Andon system will deliver the greatest added value, as every minute of delay or downtime can directly impact overall performance.

2. Connect Data Sources

A digital Andon system only works if data flows freely. Industrial PLCs, MES and ERP systems, IoT sensors, or maintenance tracking tools — the more relevant and connected the sources are, the more accurate and useful the alerts become. This interconnection provides a reliable, real-time view of the situation.

3. Define Alert Scenarios

Not all anomalies require the same reaction. It’s therefore essential to define which events should trigger an Andon alert — machine failure, quality defect, supply shortage, or safety issue, for instance. These scenarios must be prioritized and linked to clear information (nature of the issue, affected station, urgency level) to help teams respond effectively.

4. Build Visual Dashboards

The collected data must then be transformed into actionable information. Dashboards for global monitoring, wallboards for shop-floor tracking, or playlists for high-traffic areas — each display should be tailored to its context. The goal is to make information instantly understandable through gauges, indicators, charts, or color codes.

5. Deploy Screens in the Right Locations

The effectiveness of a digital Andon system also depends on where the screens are installed. Positioned close to workstations, in workshops, control rooms, or shared spaces, they ensure immediate visibility for all relevant staff. Information becomes accessible exactly where it’s needed — without delay.

The digital Andon represents a major evolution of traditional alert and signaling methods. By leveraging digital signage and integrating data from business systems and IoT devices, it transforms incident management into a fast, transparent, and collaborative process.

For manufacturers, it’s not just a technical tool — it’s a true strategic lever for Lean Manufacturing and Industry 4.0. Reduced downtime, improved communication, enhanced safety, and stronger team engagement: the benefits are extensive.

With a solution like Media4Display, the digital Andon becomes accessible, secure, and perfectly suited to real-world shop-floor operations. It supports manufacturers in their digital transformation and continuous improvement efforts, placing visual communication and responsiveness at the core of performance.