Andon (manufacturing)

In manufacturing, andon (Japanese: アンドン or あんどん or 行灯) is a system which notifies managerial, maintenance, and other workers of a quality or process problem.

Some modern alert systems incorporate audio alarms, text, or other displays; stack lights are among the most commonly used.

[2][3] It gives workers the ability, and moreover the empowerment, to stop production when a defect is found, and immediately call for assistance.

Common reasons for manual activation of the andon are: All work in production line is stopped until a solution has been found.

Many attribute Japan's rise from wartime ashes to the world's second largest economy (the Japanese economic miracle) to their post-war industrial innovations: