Everything Lean

for Leaders and Their Teams

1.800.670.5805 | Email Us | View Cart

View hundreds of terms in our Lean Dictionary

Lean Definition: Andon

An andon is one of the basic tools of Lean. An andon is a signal light that indicates the presence of an abnormal condition or an action that is needed.

‘Andon’ is the Japanese word for ‘paper lantern’.

An andon may be manual or automatically triggered. Some andons are linked to computer systems to track problems, and others can stop a moving assembly line when turned on. Many andon lights are accompanied by an audible alarm.

Examples of andon systems:

  • The stacked andon light system. This indicates the status of a work area.
  • The andon board. This large display shows the status of all the andon lights in a work area.
  • The machine andon. A flashing light on a machine indicates a problem. This is often linked to jidoka. The oil light in a car is also a form of andon.
  • The abnormal condition andon. A light may be linked to a space in a queue. When the space is full, the light goes on. The ‘on air’ light in a studio is also a form of andon.

Andon Light Stack

Add a Comment

Share Your Thoughts    |No comments|

© 2009-2010 by Velaction Continuous Improvement, LLC. All rights reserved.

More information on this term is available in our Lean Encyclopedia.

Lean Andons


View the full directory of terms in our Lean dictionary

Dopwnload our free Lean forms and Tools

Gotta Go Lean Blog

Don’t forget to sign up for my Gotta Go Lean Blog via RSS…

rss-feed-3d

Related Books

Continuous Improvement Books
Lean Definitions

Other Information You May Be Interested In...

  1. Andon What is one of the most common forms of visual management that you will hear about in Lean? Andon lights....
  2. Visual Control A visual control builds on 5S. It uses organization and standardization (usually in the form of Standard Work) to make...
  3. Andon: Lean Superhero I had a rather random thought this morning. It would not be much fun to work with a superhero, especially...
  4. Jidoka The most common Jidoka definition is ‘autonomation.’ (The word is one of many Japanese terms that are common in Lean.)...
  5. Abnormal Conditions Imagine you are at home, and you hear a funny sound coming from the washing machine, you smell a slight...

Comments and Feedback:

Please leave feedback about this entry.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WP Hashcash