A mobile-first manufacturing communication and response tracking platform designed to streamline floor support requests and minimize production downtime.

Andon Tool is a browser-based digital Andon system that helps manufacturing teams submit, claim, track, and complete production support requests in real time — and plan production scheduling with visual schedule boards, automated rotations, and shift-aware time tracking. It replaces spreadsheets, radios, and disconnected communication methods with one centralized platform that works on any device.

What is a digital Andon system?

A digital Andon system is a manufacturing communication tool that allows floor employees to signal a problem, request support, or escalate an issue to the right team immediately — using software instead of physical lights and buzzers. The concept originates from lean manufacturing and is designed to surface production issues before they cause major delays.

Does Andon Tool require special hardware?

No. Andon Tool is fully browser-based and works on any device with internet access — computers, tablets, smartphones, and shared floor kiosks. No special hardware, no app installation, and no IT infrastructure is required.

Does Andon Tool require ERP integration?

No. Andon Tool works independently and does not require integration with any ERP, MES, or existing system. You can be up and running using your current devices and infrastructure.

Can employees use shared floor devices?

Yes. Andon Tool supports floor kiosk accounts designed for shared devices. Multiple employees can submit requests from the same tablet or computer without logging in and out.

Can we start with one department?

Yes. Many companies begin with a single department or work area and expand as they see results. Andon Tool supports incremental rollout without disrupting other parts of the operation.

Can supervisors track response and completion activity?

Yes. Supervisors can view open requests, monitor claim and completion times, review department reports, and see which requests are overdue — all without walking the floor or asking for updates.

Can Andon Tool support multiple plant locations?

Yes. Andon Tool is built for multi-location operations. Each plant location can be configured independently with its own departments, work areas, and teams, while company administrators maintain visibility across all facilities.

How are users and permissions managed?

Access is role-based. Each user is assigned a role — Company Admin, Plant Manager, Supervisor, Lead, or a responder role such as Forklift, QA, Engineering, or Maintenance. Each role sees only the information and functions relevant to their responsibilities. Company Admins control user invitations and permissions.

How does company registration work?

New companies register through the pricing page, select a plan, complete payment, and set up their company profile. The first registered user becomes the Company Admin. Individual users join through company invitations — they cannot create unrestricted accounts on their own.

What support is available?

Andon Tool includes a Help Center with step-by-step guides for all major features. Company Admins can submit support tickets directly from the platform. Standard support is remote and includes reasonable assistance with product use, configuration questions, and troubleshooting. See the Implementation and Support page for details.

How long does setup take?

Most companies complete initial setup in one to two days. Setup involves configuring plant locations, departments, work areas, and user accounts. No technical team or IT department is required. The system is designed to be set up by the people who will use it.

What does the Implementation & Launch Fee include?

The fee includes guided remote assistance with initial company structure, plants, departments, work areas, needs, request types, user roles, Company Admin onboarding, and initial launch questions. The exact assistance provided depends on the selected plan and the organization’s implementation needs.

Is implementation performed remotely?

Standard implementation and support are remote, by email and scheduled Microsoft Teams meetings when useful and reasonably available. For plants within about 50 miles of Sioux Center, Iowa, setup can be done on-site; that is arranged in writing when you sign up.

Will Andon Tool configure everything for us?

Andon Tool provides guidance and assistance, but the customer remains responsible for internal decisions, accurate information, employee communication, and completing assigned configuration activities.

What support is included after launch?

An active subscription includes reasonable remote assistance with product-use questions, existing settings and features, troubleshooting, and reported software issues.

Does standard support include custom development?

No. Custom development, special integrations, extensive data entry, on-site work, and operational consulting are not automatically included. Those services may require a separate written agreement and additional pricing.

Do you guarantee response or repair times?

Standard support does not include guaranteed response or resolution times unless a separate written agreement specifically provides them. Reported issues are reviewed based on the available information, severity, impact, and development capacity.

Who should contact Andon Tool support?

The customer’s Company Administrator should normally submit and coordinate support requests so company information and communication remain organized.

What happens if nobody answers a call?

It turns red on every board, the TV and the dashboard when it passes the time limit for its priority (you set them, for example 10 minutes for Critical), and it counts as Overdue in reports.

Can workers add a photo of the problem?

Yes, on Modern display screens: a photo on a request or a downtime entry, up to 200 a month per company. A need can require a photo, so the responder sees the problem before walking over.

Do responders get a text or a push notification?

No. A call shows up on the responders’ board right away (it refreshes every 10 seconds, on phones, tablets and TVs), and a late call turns red. There are no text or push alerts today.

Can engineers or CI staff see the whole plant?

Yes, with the Plant Support role: boards, KPIs, downtime, reports and C.I.B. for their plant, without user management or people’s records. Only a company admin can give the role.

What is the Schedule Board?

A visual board showing each work center in a department, the employees assigned to it, and the jobs queued there. Floor employees can be granted view access so everyone knows where they should be.

Do I have to set up rotations to use scheduling?

No. The board works with just work centers and jobs. Rotations, employee lists, floaters, and templates are optional layers you can add when you’re ready.

How do rotations work?

A supervisor sets the rotation once — the order of work centers, the employee order, and how often it advances (daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly). The board advances automatically. Supervisors can swap, move, or bench anyone at any time without breaking the pattern.

Can employees who don’t follow a fixed schedule be included?

Yes. Floaters and flexible employees can be placed manually at any work center for a day, a week, or until removed, without joining the automated rotation.

Is scheduling included in my plan?

Yes, scheduling is included in all current plans at no additional cost.

Does scheduling affect how request times are measured?

If your company uses shift-based timing, response and completion times count only active shift hours — breaks and off-shift time are automatically excluded, so your metrics reflect real working time.

KPI boards are daily status trackers built into Andon Tool. Each board holds one or more metrics — safety, quality, output, or anything you define — and the floor enters a green, yellow, or red status each day against criteria you set.

Who can enter data on a KPI board?

Leads and above can enter and edit daily status, along with the department’s supervisor and any leads granted editor access by the board owner. Everyone else in the company can view boards but cannot change entries.

Can the floor see KPI boards without editing them?

Yes. All roles in the company can view KPI boards, including floor-level users and kiosk accounts. Boards are read-only for anyone without edit permission.

Can I show KPI boards on a TV?

Yes. KPI boards can be displayed on a TV using a full-screen wall-calendar view, a rotating slideshow with per-slide timers, or a split-screen TV dashboard that combines KPI metrics with the request board, schedule board, weather, and document images.

Can I go back and fill in a missed day?

Yes. You can backfill entries for past days within your company’s configured backfill limit. Days outside the backfill window are locked to prevent retroactive changes. Missed days appear gray on the calendar for visible accountability.

Are KPI boards included in my plan?

Yes, KPI boards are included in both the Regular and Enterprise plans at no additional cost.

Who can log downtime?

Anyone in the company can log a downtime event — including floor users and kiosk accounts. The logging flow is designed to take about four taps: pick the department, pick the work center, pick the reason, and confirm.

Who can manage reasons and see downtime reports?

Leads with supervisor permissions and above (supervisors, plant managers, company admins, and platform admins) can manage preset reasons, view the full downtime log, edit events, and access the Pareto analysis. Leads without supervisor permissions and other floor-level roles get logging only.

What if we don’t know how long the downtime will be?

Use the "Still down" option when you log the event. It creates an ongoing entry without a duration. Anyone who can edit the event can close it out later by entering the actual minutes lost — or the person who logged it can close out their own entry.

Do we have to categorize the waste?

No, the waste category is optional. However, preset reasons can be configured to pre-fill a waste category automatically (one of the 8 DOWNTIME wastes: Defects, Overproduction, Waiting, Non-utilized talent, Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Extra-processing), so most entries are categorized without extra effort.

Can we separate planned downtime from unplanned?

Yes. Downtime events default to unplanned, but supervisors can mark an event as planned after the fact. The Downtime report includes an "Exclude planned" toggle that is on by default, so your Pareto analysis focuses on real losses rather than scheduled maintenance.

Is downtime tracking included in my plan?

Yes, downtime tracking is included in both the Regular and Enterprise plans at no additional cost.

What are the add-ons, and what do they cost?

There are two. Skill Matrix is $150 a month. C.I.B. (the Continuous Improvement Bot) is $250 a month and includes 1,000 messages.

Do I need a plan to use an add-on?

Yes. Each add-on is added on top of a Regular or Enterprise plan. They are set up after a short conversation: email support@andontool.com.

Can I try the add-ons first?

New accounts start with both add-ons switched on for the first 30 days at no extra cost. Unless you add one to your account, it switches off automatically after that.

Can I post work instructions at the machine?

With Skill Matrix, each published document has a QR code to print and post at the work center, and your team scans it to open the current revision. A public link can be turned on when someone outside the company needs it.

Does C.I.B. work in Spanish?

Yes. It answers in Spanish when you write in Spanish, and Translate lets a supervisor and a crew talk with each other in English and Spanish.

Can C.I.B. write work instructions?

It drafts one from photos of each step or from a short video. A person reviews and publishes it; C.I.B. never publishes by itself, and it marks anything it can’t confirm.

What is the Monday CI brief?

With C.I.B., every Monday morning each plant gets a short brief built from last week’s downtime, KPIs, requests and Kaizen items. It never includes people’s names.

Is the Safety Walk a safety inspection?

No. It’s a second set of eyes: C.I.B. looks at a photo against federal OSHA general industry standards and your own policies and lists possible concerns. It isn’t legal advice or a compliance decision, and your state plan, insurer or safety professional may require more.

Does C.I.B. see everything in the plant?

No. It only sees the departments the person using it is allowed to see, and it never makes up an owner or a date; it asks.

Andon Tool

Get Started

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions from manufacturing managers, supervisors, and operations leaders evaluating Andon Tool for their production teams.

General Questions

Requests

Production Scheduling

KPI Boards

Downtime Tracking

Add-ons: Skill Matrix and C.I.B.

Explore features and capabilities →|Learn about implementation and support →|See how the workflow works →|Understand the problems Andon Tool solves →

Get Started Log In