Why is customized Andon considered the centerpiece in MES?

　　Andon is not an abbreviation for "installing a light bulb," but a specialized term in manufacturing informatization. Through Andon, on-site workers can quickly report various problems encountered during production (such as quality abnormalities, equipment failures, material shortages, etc.) to other workstations and production management personnel, allowing issues to be addressed immediately and reducing the impact on the production process. With the deepening of lean manufacturing concepts, the demands for Andon in manufacturing are also increasing. This article will introduce the evolution of Andon from hardware devices to customized software modules, exploring what kind of Andon, as a core module of modern MES systems, can meet the needs of different types of production lines and realize the value of MES.
　　Andon (Andon) comes from Japanese, meaning "lantern." In the manufacturing industry, Andon specifically refers to the visual management tool first invented by Toyota Motor Corporation for production workshop floors. After introducing JIT (Just-In-Time production), Toyota found that problems on the production line must be handled more quickly; otherwise, they would have a significant impact on the entire production operation. Therefore, Toyota gradually deployed a large number of signal lights for different problem scenarios in various workshops. These signal lights were placed around workstations or machines. When workers encountered problems, they would pull a cord to activate the corresponding signal light. At this stage, Andon referred to an independent hardware device with simple functions and single scenarios.
　　With the introduction of more automated production equipment, the number of workers in workshops has decreased. To help production management personnel more conveniently see Andon signals from multiple production lines, display screens showing Andon status were installed in prominent locations in workshops and offices. Correspondingly, the operation method of Andon changed from mechanical pull cords to electronic buttons. Workers press a call button at their workstation, and the corresponding light on the large screen in the workshop lights up; office personnel can also see the worker's call on their computer screens. During this phase, Andon evolved from an independently operating hardware device to a "software-based" system.
　　With continuous technological progress, the division of labor between production management and on-site support teams has become more refined. Production management and support personnel need to identify the issues they need to handle from many problems. Therefore, the Andon system's signals upgraded from simple red, green, and yellow to versions with more colors. The application scenarios of Andon became richer, such as pressing a white button when materials are lacking or directly calling a supervisor via a blue button.
　　Besides operational improvements, the Andon system has further integrated with other MES system modules, becoming an important component of MES. Workers' reports and repair requests on the Andon system are linked with MES, automatically generating corresponding data reports to help enterprises continuously improve production.
　　Tailoring to the production line is the key to Andon's success.
　　Like most MES modules, Andon also faces the issue of "customization." Under different enterprises, products, or production organization methods, production line workers have different requirements for reporting problems. How can Andon "just" cover the enterprise's production scenarios without being unable to support "problem visualization" due to too few items, nor frequently mispressed due to too many items? In the era of lean manufacturing, with frequent upgrades to production processes, how can Andon settings be adjusted promptly after production process changes?
　　Customized Andon was born to solve these problems. Unlike traditional Andon systems, customized Andon supports full-process customization from the worker operation terminal, display screens to data integration with other MES modules. Typically, the worker operation terminal for customized Andon is a touch device such as a tablet, running Andon call software that lists the enterprise's required "problems" as large buttons, allowing workers to easily find and click the corresponding button to trigger the process. Supporting the operation terminal are workshop display screens and backend distribution, processing, and summary statistics processes, all tailored to the enterprise's actual operational processes.
　　Compared to finished Andon systems, customized Andon systems can significantly improve system implementation success rates, greatly shorten problem handling times, and enhance the overall operational efficiency of the production line.
　　Low-code accelerates Andon customization.
　　It is well known that the procurement and maintenance costs of customized software are much higher than those of finished software, and Andon systems are no exception. For many small and medium-sized enterprises, how can they use customized Andon systems with limited investment? With advances in software development technology and the emergence of low-code technology known for high productivity, this has become possible.
　　"Low-code" is a concept proposed by Forrester Research in 2014, referring to a rapid development technology mainly applied in enterprise informatization. With low-code, developers can generate common enterprise application functions without coding, and a small amount of coding can develop more extended functions.
　　Recently, Wenzhou Unicom innovatively used the Huozige enterprise-level low-code development platform to customize and deliver an MES system including an Andon module for a lock manufacturing enterprise in Zhejiang. The Andon module in this MES system is fully customized according to the enterprise's actual business needs, highly matching the production process, greatly reducing training costs for system launch, shortening the adaptation period, and allowing the enterprise to experience the value brought by digital production faster. More importantly, compared to traditional pure code development, using low-code development significantly shortens delivery cycles and reduces development costs while maintaining design freedom and system integration.
　　Additionally, in this MES system, the Andon module is connected with the equipment monitoring module. While pushing Andon calls to the corresponding employees' mobile phones, it can also update the corresponding data on the management dashboard in real time, displaying it to the duty personnel in the production control center. More direct data display brings smoother information flow, further amplifying the value of the Andon system.