Also called andon cord, andon board, call light
What is an andon?
A light, board or cord that lets anyone signal a problem the moment it happens, and shows the whole area that help is needed.
What else it is called
- Other names
- andon cord, andon board, call light
- In French
- andon
Related entries
Understanding andon
A signal anybody can trigger, usually a light or a cord, that says something is wrong here now. A good one shows the area and the nature of the problem, and the agreement is that somebody comes within an agreed time, often under two minutes.
The discipline is entirely in the response. If a supervisor answers quickly and the problem gets solved, operators use it and problems get caught early. If signals sit unanswered because everybody is busy, people go back to coping quietly, and you have a light on a pole.
In practice
Measure the time between the signal and somebody arriving. That number, not the number of signals, tells you whether the system is alive.
Frequently asked
Will operators abuse it?
This is the usual fear and it almost never happens. The far commoner problem is that it is used too rarely, because people have learned that pulling it brings no help and some irritation.