Digital Andon Board: Real-Time Transparency on the Shop Floor

A machine grinds to a halt — and on a busy shop floor, no one notices for minutes. A digital Andon board closes exactly this gap: it makes the state of production visible in real time and automatically alerts the right people before a brief fault turns into a costly stoppage.

What is a digital Andon board?

A digital Andon board is a software-based display that shows production status, output quantities, cycle times and faults in real time. The term “Andon” originates from the Toyota Production System and refers to a visual signaling system that immediately makes operators aware of problems in the process. While the classic version is a simple traffic light in red, amber and green, the digital version can be linked to any machine data and KPIs.

This turns the Andon board from a mere warning light into a central building block of shop floor management: it bundles information that would otherwise be scattered across individual machines and systems.

How does a digital Andon board work?

Connecting data sources

A digital Andon board is only as good as its data. Through interfaces such as PLC, OPC UA, MQTT or direct database and ERP connections, machine states, quantities and cycle times flow onto the board in real time.

Signaling and escalation

As soon as a defined threshold is breached — for example a machine stop or output falling below target — the board changes status and triggers an escalation. Passive display becomes active shop floor communication.

Andon board vs. Andon system: what is the difference?

The Andon board is the visual display unit. The Andon system is the complete concept: board plus signaling plus escalation logic plus data connection. A complete Andon system consists of the board, signaling (light or push notification), and trigger (manual button or automatic threshold).

Peakboard maps the complete Andon system — from PLC connection through real-time visualization to automatic Teams or Slack notification when a machine stops.

Classic vs. digital Andon board

The classic Andon light signals only one state and must be triggered manually. A digital Andon board captures states automatically and makes it a central tool of visual operator management.

Benefits for production and maintenance

• Faster response times: faults become visible instantly instead of being noticed on the next round.
• Less downtime: faster escalation measurably reduces unplanned stoppages.
• More transparency: everyone sees the same status — from operator to plant management.
• Data-driven improvement: the stored history reveals recurring bottlenecks.

Real-world example: Andon board with FORCAM machine data

Peakboard connects directly to the FORCAM API and visualizes the data without an intermediate layer. When a machine enters a fault state, the board immediately changes color and — coupled with the digital call system — sends a notification to the responsible maintenance group.

Andon in lean management

Digital Andon boards extend the visual management principle by showing not only manually triggered signals but also automatically generated states from machine data. The connection to the shop floor meeting is direct: what the Andon board shows in real time is reviewed in the daily SQCDP meeting and translated into actions.

A digital Andon board in 5 steps

1. Define the relevant KPIs and fault cases.
2. Identify and connect data sources (PLC, OPC UA, MQTT, ERP, MES).
3. Set thresholds and escalation logic.
4. Design the display for the shop floor and end devices.
5. Start a pilot, gather feedback and roll out.

The Andon board from Peakboard can start on a single line and roll out step by step. For the bigger picture, the guide 10 steps to digital shop floor management sets out the overall strategy – delivered with Peakboard’s shop floor management software.