At a Glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food Manufacturing — Specialty Food Production |
| Facility | 8 production lines, multiple departments |
| Key Result | First-ever visibility into quality response time and call resolution |
| Coverage | Production, fulfillment, warehouse, packaging |
| System | 3-key call buttons, wireless stack lights, signal repeaters, advanced software |
The Challenge
This specialty food manufacturer operates eight production lines spanning production, fulfillment, warehouse, and packaging departments. Their quality engineering team was responsible for responding to calls across all of these areas — but they had no way to track when calls were made, when someone arrived, or how long resolution took.
"We have around eight lines in our operation area — production, fulfillment, warehouse, packaging. We are looking for Andon to implement troubleshooting across everything."The existing process was simple and broken: when an operator needed quality support, they'd use a basic paging system to announce the need, and someone would eventually show up. There was no record of the interaction.
"We are using a paging system — we announce and people come. But we are not aware of what time they are coming, and whether the work is done."The quality team needed answers to basic questions that they couldn't currently measure:
- When did the quality team member arrive? No tracking existed for response time.
- Was the issue resolved? No close-out confirmation or documentation.
- How long did it take? No elapsed time data from call to resolution.
- Where are the bottlenecks? No Pareto data on which lines or departments generated the most calls.
"At what time did the quality team member go to that place? Is the work done? Input, output — regarding time and the gap, how many minutes got delayed."Additional constraints included GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) requirements — in food contact areas, staff could not wear watches or wrist-mounted devices, requiring an alternative alert method for certain zones.
Why They Chose an Andon System
The plant's quality engineering team evaluated their options for tracking response time and issue resolution:
- Basic paging — already in use, but provided zero data
- Manual logs — inconsistent, time-consuming, and often inaccurate in a fast-paced food production environment
- MES integration — their existing systems tracked machine performance, not human support interactions
The Implementation
The plant deployed the system across all eight lines with:
- 3-key call buttons at each station for quality, maintenance, and materials calls
- Wireless stack lights for visual alerts (essential in GMP zones where wearable devices are restricted)
- Signal repeaters to ensure coverage across the full facility footprint
- Advanced software with reporting, escalation sequences, and documentation features
The quality team worked through specific configuration needs:
- IP mirroring to display the button board on TV monitors at supervisory stations
- Virtual buttons for workstations with computers, allowing staff to trigger calls from a browser
- Escalation rules ensuring unanswered quality calls automatically notified the department supervisor after a set timeout
- Documentation portal for technicians to record resolution notes at close-out
The Results
Visibility Achieved
For the first time, the quality engineering team could see:
- Exactly when each call was placed and by which line
- How long it took for a quality team member to respond
- Whether the issue was resolved or remained open
- Which lines and shifts generated the most quality calls
Operational Impact
- Quality response time measured — the gap between "call placed" and "quality arrived" was visible for the first time, revealing significant variation between shifts
- Accountability established — with escalation in place, unanswered calls no longer fell through the cracks
- Cross-department visibility — production, packaging, fulfillment, and warehouse all feeding into a single dashboard gave management an operational view they'd never had
- GMP compliance maintained — wireless stack lights provided visual alerts in food contact areas without requiring wrist-worn devices
Continuous Improvement
The quality team now runs weekly reviews using Pareto reports to identify which production lines generate the most calls and which types of issues (quality, maintenance, materials) consume the most response time. This data directly supports their continuous improvement program and FSMA compliance documentation.
What They Said
The quality engineering team emphasized that the biggest value wasn't the hardware — it was finally having data. Before the Andon system, they knew response times varied, but they couldn't prove it or quantify the impact. After implementation, they had the evidence needed to justify staffing adjustments and process changes.
The plant has since expanded the system beyond the initial pilot, incorporating additional departments and refining their escalation sequences based on the response time data collected during the first 60 days.
Related resources:
- Which Industries Use Andon Systems?
- Understanding Andon System Benefits
- Response Time Tracking in Manufacturing
- Browse All Case Studies
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