10 Common Andon Implementation Mistakes Managers Make

1. Using stack lights as your Andon system instead of a dedicated Andon board

Stack lights are useful as local machine indicators, but they make a terrible Andon system. Visibility is poor, they are often blocked by equipment, and they do not clearly communicate what is happening. They easily blend in with all the other tower lights and machine indicators on the floor.

Some teams try to fix this by adding separate high‑power sirens to each stack light, which only makes the system more expensive without solving the core problem. A wireless Andon board, highly visible from anywhere on the floor and with a single configurable MP3 alarm serving many stations, is far more effective and much cheaper to install.

Your Andon must stand out dramatically from everything else on the floor — like a purple cow among hundreds of normal cows. The Andon board should be that purple cow.

2. Choosing a wired Andon system instead of wireless

Hard‑wiring an Andon system makes installation extremely expensive, often costing more than the hardware itself. Every layout change becomes a headache: moving conduits, rerouting cables, and paying for extra labor.

A wireless Andon system, on the other hand, continues working during layout changes and installs in a fraction of the time and cost. It gives you the flexibility to adapt the system as your lines evolve.

3. Designing an Andon system that takes more than 5 minutes to explain

An effective Andon system must be simple to use, easy to understand, quick to install, and straightforward to maintain. If you cannot explain to a new person how to read and use the board in under five minutes, the design is likely wrong.

Operators should understand it intuitively at a glance. Maintenance should be able to install and repair it without specialized knowledge. If your system requires experts to set up or keep running, you are buying problems, not solutions.

4. Requiring specialized technicians for installation and startup

If installation and commissioning depend on external specialists (especially from another city or country), long‑term sustainability is at risk. Every change or failure becomes a service visit and an invoice. A good Andon system should be installable and maintainable by your own team with minimal training.

5. Implementing Andon without sound or melodies

Many managers try to "reduce noise" by eliminating audible alarms. Those implementations almost always fail. The first signal people detect is sound — once the melody plays, everyone naturally looks at the Andon board. Without sound, visual alerts are slow to notice and easy to ignore.

The solution is not to remove sound, but to use it intelligently: pleasant, configurable MP3 melodies with proper volume control instead of harsh sirens.

6. Using TV screens on the shop floor full of information

TV monitors on the floor have very poor visibility at a distance. Operators must walk up close to read them, which means most of the time they are simply ignored. Large, purpose‑built Andon boards are far better at grabbing attention and communicating status at a glance.

7. Buying an over‑engineered, imported Andon system that no one can modify

It is easy to be impressed by a huge LED matrix imported from abroad, but if only foreign technicians can adjust it, every layout change becomes a travel expense. Many of these systems end up abandoned because they cannot keep up with yearly layout changes.

You also want to avoid Andon systems that depend on the corporate network. Floor networks fail more often than we like to admit, and when the network goes down, your Andon goes down with it. Prefer systems that do not rely on fragile IT infrastructure.

8. Using pagers as your primary Andon channel

Pagers are fine when discretion is needed — hospitals, hotels, etc. In industry, Andon should be the opposite: loud and visible. If only two people see the pager message, the problem remains "secret" and the rest of the plant stays blind.

Pagers can be a useful extra accessory for technicians who move between buildings, but never the main Andon signal. The primary channel must be public and highly visible to everyone.

9. Paying monthly subscription fees for Andon software

If you choose an Andon system with software, licenses should be unlimited and without monthly fees. Many vendors charge ongoing subscriptions for database hosting, storage, and updates. That quickly becomes an unnecessary cost center.

A better approach is to host the database on your own servers, where it can run for years with minimal maintenance. When an update is required, remote access is usually enough — no need for on‑site visits and recurring charges.

10. Having engineers with no lean manufacturing experience design your Andon

If your Andon is designed only by electronics engineers with no background in lean manufacturing, Japanese production techniques, or real production processes, they will simply "build what you ask for" without challenging the design. If the project fails, they will say, "we just did what you requested."

Andon design is not just electronics — it is process thinking. You need someone who understands flow, quality, visual management and the realities of your lines. Leveraging experienced Andon specialists can save you from very expensive mistakes.

Conclusion

Most Andon failures are not technical, they are design and implementation mistakes. By avoiding these ten traps, you can implement a simple, reliable Andon system that truly improves response times, quality, and productivity instead of becoming just another abandoned project on the plant floor.