Industry 4.0 Archives - Andonix

The Digital Andon Cord: A Fast Track to Industry 4.0

Oliver Theiss — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 12:44:21 +0000

Industry 4.0 transformation starts with identifying acute pain points that impact productivity, quality, and cost, but the endpoint is the full integration of operational and information technologies. This convergence—the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)—offers new opportunities to improve operations in exciting new ways and to boost the bottom line. Operational data from sensors and machine-based systems integrated with IT data from connected worker platforms and other systems influence operations, quality, maintenance, and engineering across an organization. Digital transformation efforts are designed to bridge that gap and modernize every element of industrial and labor-intensive organizations. Yet many companies lack the budget needed to retrofit machines with smart sensors and the cloud infrastructure needed to collect and interpret huge datasets. Therefore significant innovation can be made in the way front-line workers are embedded into digital transformation initiatives and how they communicate with one another and the rest of the organization. The digital andon cord is designed to fill that need.

What is an Andon Cord?

Developed by Toyota as part of their revolutionary Toyota Production System, and the Jidoka principle followed by the automaker since its founding, the original andon cord was just that – a cord. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most revolutionary. When pulled, the andon cord would stop all work at a workstation immediately, and anyone on the front line could pull it if they thought there was a quality or safety issue that needed to be addressed. It wasn’t just about giving employees a voice – some new privilege that had been denied to them before. It was about giving them ownership over the performance of the entire line. Each individual, from a trainee on the floor to the supervisor with twenty years of floor experience, was tasked with constantly looking out for the quality of the products they produced. Once the cord was pulled, a supervisor would determine why it was pulled, address the issue, and get everyone back to work. While fewer companies still use physical cords or boards, many are implementing digital versions of the andon cord. Netflix practices their own version of Toyota’s Jidoka and has even gone so far as to implement a system that intentionally triggers failure in their servers periodically just to ensure the response is sufficient. Toyota started phasing out the andon cord in 2014, replacing them with call buttons, and now many companies are looking at how a digital replacement can help even better connect front-line employees.

People Are Not Connected

The andon cord solves a very specific problem. The inability of someone working on the frontline to get immediate assistance if they have a question. What happened in the past was that these employees would just guess, and more often than not, this would lead to unnecessary quality issues and incorrect practices. The iceberg of ignorance that develops when frontline workers address problems outside of prescribed best practices can create massive issues in the future. Maybe a small number of quality issues are spotted. But hundreds more lurk beneath the surface. In the age of digital transformation, most front-line workers remain disconnected, and while physical andon solutions stop a problem from getting worse, their basic functionality is akin to sending up a flare in the wilderness. Sure someone sees it and will come to find you, but other than knowing that there is a problem, the “rescuer” has almost no information. What if a supervisor, whose job it is to respond to andon pulls, isn’t free or there isn’t an expert on the floor who can answer the question? What if the problem reported can’t be fixed by the supervisor and involves others such as maintenance, engineering, or even the maker of the machine? There will always be exceptions, and when no one is available, people either guess, or the work station where the issue occurred is stopped for much longer than necessary. This directly impacts quality, productivity, delivery, safety, and ultimately cost.

The Role of a Digital Andon Cord

This is where the digital andon cord comes in, keeping every worker in a frontline organization connected 100% of the time. A digital andon cord leverages any connected device (tablet, phone, computer) and smart algorithms to connect frontline workers with the right person in the organization depending on the nature of the problem. Moreover, the system provides access to crowd wisdom that helps improve every element of work. If a supervisor isn’t free, another person in the organization who happens to know the answer can step in. A digital andon cord:

Minimizes Mistakes – Fewer mistakes are made because frontline workers have instant access to a pool of knowledge throughout the company, not just in their physical proximity.
Is More Agile to Implement – A digital solution requires no expensive hardware integrations and can be accessible within any budget. Adoption is fast due to a social media-like interface that is familiar to most workers and accessible from mobile devices.
Provides Instant Access to Data and Relevant Information – All relevant data is organized and instantly accessible via smart dashboards. Furthermore, problems can be communicated more concisely by leveraging the use of pictures, written or multiple choice style explanations, and other evidence that can help teams troubleshoot more accurately and respond quicker.
Supports Adding Pictures and Evidence to an Event – Problems can be communicated more concisely with pictures, written explanations, and other evidence that can help supervisors troubleshoot more accurately and respond quicker.
Collects and Organizes Tribal Knowledge – Data can be collected and mined to detect trends, with solutions to repetitive problems organized into a shared resource pool for employees. Machine learning helps capture the input that is normally lost to implement Kaizen practices at scale.

Even with physical andon cords, the iceberg of ignorance limits how effectively supervisors can respond to situations, sometimes resulting in major potential issues. And while productivity does increase after traditional andon cords are introduced, it’s a missed opportunity in digital performance management to not leverage hugely impactful digital solutions.

Leveraging the Andon Cord Across Industry

While the andon cord was developed for auto manufacturing, the digital andon cord is a revolutionary solution that can be leveraged across industries. Not only is it a showcase of the ongoing and necessary convergence of OT and IT, but at a more practical level, for any labor-intensive organization, the technology changes the way digital transformations can be initiated, accelerated, and ultimately benefited from. Empowering a company’s frontline with a connected worker platform that incorporates a digital andon cord such as Smart Work Station, built by Andonix, will have a lasting positive impact on the operational KPIs of the company. It also prepares the company for further Industry 4.0 oriented initiatives and investments. This can help meet new competitive challenges and keep your company resilient in light of disruptive forces such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Best Practices to Implement a Technology Solution Quickly

Andonix — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 11:28:34 +0000

The right technology can change your business. It can have an immediate impact on your bottom line, empower your front line to work smarter and faster, and help achieve longstanding organizational goals. But selecting a new technology tool and actually implementing it are very different. It can be immensely challenging, with issues arising such as:

Integrations with existing systems
Training time for your front-line staff
The cost of implementation and training
Maintenance and management considerations

There’s a reason so many organizations spend months or even years piloting different platforms in an attempt to resolve long-standing issues, only to never fully onboard any of them. Let’s take a closer look at why this happens and the steps you can take to avoid it in your organization.

Who Are You Promoters and Sponsors?

Before anything else, identify your key stakeholders. Who will lead the way in implementing and managing the new platform? Who will have the biggest impact with your front-line workers, helping them to fully understand the benefits of what you’re doing? The fastest way to lose traction when piloting new software is to force the responsibility on to someone who doesn’t have time or doesn’t believe the software will be beneficial for the company. If the project leader isn’t enthusiastic, no one will be. To ensure you find a true champion who understands the value of what you are trying to do and can guide the front line through its implementation, go beyond the high-level considerations. Beyond the potential cost savings, what motivates your implementation team? How will they benefit from this software and what tangible way can you show them the value of their efforts? Most of the time, it’s going to be about time and money, but there are key elements that matter as much as if not more than those:

Training and what front line workers are expected to learn.
Onboarding and how long it will take to get back up to speed.
Support for any questions or issues that arise during the pilot.

Sure, it’s important to know exactly how a new piece of software will integrate with existing software and hardware tools, but don’t neglect how it will impact your employees and subsequently, how they will respond.

Managing Potential Changes to Your IT Ecosystem

When evaluating new software, the amount of disruption should be directly related to the value you gain from the pilot. IT leadership will push back strongly against platforms that require the integration of entirely new hardware or systems that don’t “play nice” with what you already have in place. Implementations like stationary work interfaces, smart glasses, and new proprietary hardware can all be difficult to work into a carefully balanced IT ecosystem. Web interfaces and apps are one way around this, allowing teams to use the devices they already have – smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers – to interact with the new software. At the same time, even in the case of new hardware implementation, consider the potential benefits. Anything that eliminates paper from the equation, for example, can be a huge boost to not just overall productivity, but general accuracy and quality.

Defining and Measuring Your Goals as an Organization

The third piece of a successful pilot launch is having clearly defined goals that can be measured against your efforts. Specifically, how much time should this tool save? How much paper do you want to reduce? What are the specific metrics for quality and productivity you will be tracking? This is where having an active champion who is fully engaged with the project can help. They will be better equipped to evaluate and identify what the pilot should be able to provide and then measure the performance over time.

Overcoming Pilot Challenges to Create Value

Getting stuck in pilot purgatory can be exhausting. It saps the energy out of an organization to try and do new things while using up valuable resources on tools that may not be a good fit. It’s one reason Andonix created Smart Work Station™ to onboard in just one day so companies can start seeing benefits almost immediately. Learn more about our pilot implementation guidelines in our guide to preparing for the process or by downloading our flow chart to decide if you’re ready to take the next step. You can also read our eBook about best practices and next steps for successfully implementing a connected worker platform integration in your company.

How Technology Addresses the Manufacturing Labor Shortage

Andonix — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 12:42:26 +0000

Job openings in manufacturing have grown at double-digit rates since 2017 and are very near the all-time high recorded in 2001. Despite public perception that American Industry is in decline, a recent study by Deloitte shows that between 2018 and 2028, an estimated 2.4 million positions will remain unfilled.

Unemployment rates have sat at or below 4% consistently for a full year dating back to July 2018, and those that are available consistently lack the STEM skills needed to fill modern industrial jobs. Other factors leading to a shortage include:

Shifting skillsets related to the use of advanced automation
A persistent misperception about the nature of manufacturing jobs
A wave of retirements from baby boomers who hold significant accrued knowledge
The hidden factory dilemma facing the front line due to a lack of collaborative tools

The good news is that technology can be used to address these challenges: improving retention, attracting new talent, and engaging workers to help build vital skills in the workforce. Let’s review how companies are doing this.

Improving Retention and Attraction

Software systems, AI and machine learning are being implemented to help companies identify top talent, attract individuals with the critical thinking and programming skills needed to manage automated systems, and keep that talent once hired.

In a recent study of the world’s best companies, Harvard Business Review found several unique traits that enable companies to build better work environments. Arup, for example, is one of the world’s largest creative design and engineering firms, but they carefully integrate skills across the spectrum of talents needed to succeed – from economics to mathematics, creative design and even social sciences. To engage their employees, Arup encourages them to work across skillsets and disciplines to tap into holistic thinking that brings new perspectives to familiar problems.

Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute outlined several ways that manufacturers can positively influence the future of work, including:

Collecting and leveraging resources from retiring employees.
Building new, more engaging training programs designed for the next generation.
Implementing apprenticeship and one-to-one training programs supplemented by technology.
Leveraging technology to supplement jobs and expand performance opportunities in your organization.

Investing in Engagement

Engaged workers stay on longer than those who are not. According to a Corporate Leadership Council survey, the most engaged workers (those who are excited to come to work and proactively involved in the organization) are 87% less likely to leave theirs. The top companies to work for in the same study had a 13% voluntary turnover rate, compared to 28.5% in comparable industries.

With the cost of replacing an employee sitting at 1.5x the employee’s salary, retention is one of the areas in which companies can have the largest impact on their bottom line. Engagement is the first step in doing that.

Boosting Overall Work Satisfaction

How someone feels about their job is notoriously difficult to quantify. We rely on anonymous surveys and aggregated data for different industries, but we do know it has an impact.

Companies listed in the “100 Best Companies to Work for in America”, for example, generated 2.3% to 3.8% higher stock returns per year than their peers from 1984 through 2011. Happy employees are more productive, leave less often, and generate value.

Improving the Work Experience

To foster an environment of collaboration in which workers feel more satisfied in their daily tasks, more engaged with the values and overall mission of the company, and more inclined to invest personal capital into the success of their employer, a better work experience is needed.

When a workplace offers intrinsic rewards, employees are rewarded with a better cohort of co-workers who in turn help motivate them to perform better. Weaker performers can more easily see paths to improvement, and the rewards received by those taking such paths. The front line gets the chance to self-develop with e-learning platforms and create value in new and exciting ways. A lot of this can be done with a technology-oriented approach to connected workers. Such a platform helps organizations:

Communicate with transparency to the front line. Ideas no longer trickle down from the top slowly. They are communicated clearly and directly to the front line to facilitate change and open communication.
Provide tools for employees to solve problems quickly by asking for help. Employees become more autonomous and are encouraged to take an active role in addressing challenges as they arise. They feel greater ownership over their contributions.
Implement multiple communications channels through a single interface. Removing barriers to quick communication from anywhere in the organization – board room or front line – makes it faster and easier to address challenges.
Make people comfortable signing their names to comments. Employees are empowered to provide feedback and engage in an active conversation about how to implement improvements in the organization.
Ensure all relevant information is accessible to the front line at all times. Having enough information to their job well when they need it is empowering. It turns laborers into knowledge workers.

Training programs, engagement-oriented communication platforms, and improvements to the management style in your organization can have a direct impact on your ability to find and hire top talent. When yours becomes a company that everyone wants to work for, you won’t need to fight for the best of the best any longer – they’ll come to you.

Download our recent eBook, Are you still guiding your front line with a broken managerial model? to learn more about how organizations of all sizes are shifting out of decades-old silos to make everyone visible and transition their labor workers into knowledge workers and spark new ideas.