--- title: "Andon System for CNC Shops: Board, Calls and How to Start" description: "Learn how an andon system works in a CNC shop: the board, operator calls and stop reasons, and how to start with the data you already have." image: https://www.jitbase.com/hubfs/andon-system-cnc-shops.webp --- [+1 438 942-8501](tel:+1%20438%20942-8501) [Log In](https://app.jitbase.com/) - [English](https://www.jitbase.com/blog/andon-system-cnc-shops) - [Français](https://www.jitbase.com/fr/blog/systeme-andon-atelier-cnc) [![JITbase black logo](https://www.jitbase.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/jitbase-logo-black-horiz.webp?width=175&height=88&name=jitbase-logo-black-horiz.webp)](https://www.jitbase.com) - Solutions Back ##### [Machine Monitoring](https://www.jitbase.com/machine-monitoring) - ##### [Machine Monitoring](https://www.jitbase.com/machine-monitoring) Back - [Live Dashboard](https://www.jitbase.com/machine-monitoring) - [Track OEE](https://www.jitbase.com/machine-monitoring#Track-OEE) - [Track Downtime Reasons](https://jitbase.com/machine-monitoring#Track-Downtime-Reasons) - 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[Français](https://www.jitbase.com/fr/blog/systeme-andon-atelier-cnc)   [Book a demo](https://www.jitbase.com/demo) [Connect Machines for Free](https://sso.jitbase.com/realms/webapp/protocol/openid-connect/registrations?client_id=website-registration&response_type=code&scope=openid&redirect_uri=https://admin.jitbase.com) ![Machinist calling from the touchscreen of a CNC machine with a stack light while a colleague checks the shop screen: andon board with JITbase](https://www.jitbase.com/hubfs/andon-system-cnc-shops.webp) Blog [Machine monitoring](https://www.jitbase.com/blog/tag/machine-monitoring) # Andon System for CNC Shops: Board, Calls and How to Start [*written by* Judicael Deguenon on November 2, 2026](https://www.jitbase.com/blog/author/judicael-deguenon) An andon system is a way for the people at the machine to signal a problem so that someone can respond before it grows. The word is Japanese for lantern, and the idea comes from lean manufacturing, where anyone can raise the alarm instead of letting a problem move on to the next station. In a CNC shop the signal often stops at a light on top of the machine. Nobody sees it from the other end of the floor, and it keeps no record. This guide explains how an andon system works, what an andon light and an andon board each do, and how to start with the data you already have, including operator calls from the machine screen. ## What Is an Andon System? An andon system has one job: make a problem visible the moment it happens and get the right person to respond. It is built from three parts: a signal raised at the machine, a display that others can see, and a response from a person who is expected to act. The idea is simple, and the value is in the response, not in the equipment. A light that nobody answers is decoration. A shared screen and a named person for each type of call can work as an andon even without any light. ## How an Andon System Works on a CNC Shop Floor | Part | What it does | Question to ask | | --- | --- | --- | | **Signal** | The operator or the machine raises a problem: a call for maintenance, a call for material, a stop with a reason | Can the operator signal without leaving the machine? | | **Display** | The signal appears where people can see it: a light, a screen, a board | Does the person who must respond see it without looking for it? | | **Response** | Someone acts, and the time to respond is recorded | Does each type of call have a named person? | On a CNC floor the typical calls are about maintenance and material: a machine that needs a technician, or a job waiting for stock. Start with those two before you add more. Too many call types make the board hard to read and slow the response. ## Andon Light or Andon Board: What Is the Difference? | | Andon light (stack light) | Andon board (screen) | | --- | --- | --- | | **Where it shows** | On the machine, visible from nearby | On a screen visible across the shop | | **What it tells** | A color or a sound: something is wrong | Which machine, which type of call, and how long it has waited | | **History** | None: once the light is off, nothing is kept | Calls and stop reasons can be recorded with their time and duration | | **Limit** | Cannot say why, or for how long | Needs a screen placed where people walk past | The two are not rivals. A light gives an immediate local signal, and a board gives the shared picture and the record. A shop can start with the board because it adds history, which a light alone cannot give. ## What Data Does an Andon Need? To be more than a light, an andon needs a few fields for each event: - The machine - The type of call or the stop reason (maintenance, material, a planned setup, a breakdown) - The time the call was raised - The time it was answered - The duration until the response With these fields you can see which machine calls most, which call type waits longest and which reasons come back every week. Ranking the causes is covered in [downtime root cause analysis with Pareto charts](https://www.jitbase.com/blog/downtime-root-cause-analysis-pareto-charts). **See every machine on one screen.** JITbase shows the live state of each machine on a screen in the shop, so a problem is visible without walking the floor. [See machine monitoring](https://www.jitbase.com/machine-monitoring) ## How to Start an Andon Board Without New Hardware 1. **Choose two call types.** Start with maintenance and material. Add others only when the first two work. 2. **Agree on the stop reasons.** Keep the list short, and separate planned stops (setup, break, changeover) from real breakdowns. 3. **Put a screen where people walk past.** A board is only useful if the person who responds sees it without looking for it. Screen options, from a TV to one display per machine, are covered in [the connected worker](https://www.jitbase.com/blog/the-connected-worker-how-operators-interact-with-jitbase-on-the-shop-floor). 4. **Name who answers each call.** One person per call type, with a target response time that you can measure. 5. **Let operators call from the machine.** A call should take a few seconds, so it is not skipped when the operator is busy. 6. **Review every week.** Look at calls by type, response times and the reasons that repeat, then change one thing at a time. ## Worked Example: A Week of Calls on Three Machines Suppose three machines on one shift record the calls below over a week. The numbers are an illustration, and they assume that the machine waits during the call. | Call type | Calls | Average response | Waiting time | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Maintenance** | 7 | 14 min | 98 min | | **Material** | 5 | 6 min | 30 min | | **Total** | 12 | | 128 min (about 2 h 8 min) | Maintenance calls account for most of the waiting: 98 minutes out of 128. If a named person and a visible board bring the average response from 14 to 10 minutes, the same seven calls cost 70 minutes instead of 98, which gives back 28 minutes in the week. Material calls are already answered quickly, so they are not the place to start. Replace these numbers with the calls and response times recorded on your own machines. **Give operators a screen at their station.** Operators confirm their tasks and call maintenance or request material from the screen, and supervisors see it live. [See the operator interface](https://www.jitbase.com/track-manufacturing-operations) ## Which Data Shows That Your Andon Is Working? - **Response time by call type.** It should fall once each type has a named person. - **Number of calls per machine.** A machine that calls much more than the others deserves a visit. - **Reasons that repeat.** A repeated reason is a cause to fix. Rank them with a Pareto chart, as described above. - **Share of unplanned stops.** It should fall as repeated causes disappear. See [automated downtime detection](https://www.jitbase.com/blog/automated-downtime-detection-cnc-setup) for how stops are captured. Fewer unplanned stops raise availability, one of the three factors in [overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)](https://www.jitbase.com/blog/complete-guide-overall-equipment-effectiveness-oee). Calls are not a score against operators: a rising number of calls at the start can simply mean that the signal is finally visible. ## Common Andon Mistakes - **Too many call types.** Two or three clear types work better than ten. - **No one to respond.** A signal that nobody is expected to answer teaches operators to stop calling. - **A screen nobody sees.** Put it where the person who responds already walks. For what to show to the operator, the planner and the manager, see [CNC production dashboards by role](https://www.jitbase.com/blog/cnc-production-dashboards-by-role). - **Treating calls as faults.** If operators are blamed for calling, they stop. Getting them on board is covered in [shop floor change management](https://www.jitbase.com/blog/shop-floor-change-management-operator-buy-in). - **Counting the light and not the response.** A light that is on or off says nothing without the time to respond. - **Mixing planned and unplanned stops.** A setup or a break is not a breakdown, so record them separately. ## Where JITbase Fits In JITbase, the operator can call maintenance or request material from the machine screen. The call appears on the dashboard displayed on a screen in the shop, and it is recorded with its time and response duration, like the stop reasons entered at the machine. Alarms from the machine are also recorded by type and by machine. JITbase does not send automatic alerts based on thresholds: the call is raised by the operator. A physical stack light or horn is separate equipment, and JITbase does not replace it. What JITbase adds is the shared screen and the record, so you can see which calls wait longest and which reasons keep returning. Your team still decides who answers and how fast. A weekly review fits naturally into a [daily production routine for CNC shops](https://www.jitbase.com/blog/daily-production-routine-cnc-shop-saas). ## Key Takeaways - An andon system makes a problem visible right away and gets a named person to respond. The value is in the response. - A stack light gives the local signal. An andon board gives the shared picture and the history. - Start with two call types, maintenance and material, one screen that people walk past and a named person for each type. - Track the response time by call type, the number of calls per machine and the reasons that repeat. - JITbase provides the shared screen and the record, and does not send automatic threshold alerts. The team decides who answers and how fast. **See what faster responses are worth.** Estimate the return of tracking stops, calls and response times on your own machines. [Calculate your return on investment](https://www.jitbase.com/return-on-investment) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is an andon system? An andon system is a way to make a problem visible as soon as it happens and to get the right person to respond. It has three parts: a signal raised at the machine, a display that others can see, and a response from someone expected to act. The word andon is Japanese for lantern, and the idea comes from lean manufacturing. In a CNC shop it can be as simple as a light on the machine, or as complete as a screen that shows each machine, the type of call and how long it has waited. What makes it work is the response, not the equipment. ### What is the difference between an andon light and an andon board? An andon light, often a stack light on the machine, gives an immediate local signal through a color or a sound. It shows that something is wrong, but not what, and it keeps no history. An andon board is a screen that shows which machine called, for what reason and for how long. The two work together. The light catches the eye near the machine, and the board gives the shared picture and the record you need to improve. ### Do you need a physical stack light to run an andon? No. A stack light is useful near the machine, but an andon can run on a visible screen and a simple way for the operator to call. What matters is that the person who responds sees the signal and that the response is recorded. If your machines already have stack lights, keep them. Add a screen and a record when you want to know which calls wait longest and which reasons keep coming back. ### Who should answer an andon call? Each call type needs a named person, such as maintenance for a machine problem and the person in charge of material for a job waiting for stock. A call that belongs to everyone usually belongs to no one. Set a target response time that you can measure, and review it every week. If a call waits long because the person was away, the fix is a backup, not another reminder to the operators. ### How is an andon different from an OEE dashboard? An andon is about reacting now: a problem is raised and someone responds. An OEE dashboard is about measuring performance over a shift, a week or a month, through availability, performance and quality. They support each other. Faster responses shorten stops, which raises availability. The calls and reasons recorded by the andon also show which causes deserve a permanent fix. ### How do you start an andon in a small CNC shop? Start with two call types, maintenance and material, one screen that people walk past, and a named person for each type. Keep the list of stop reasons short and separate planned stops from breakdowns. After a few weeks, review the calls by type, the response times and the reasons that repeat. Add a call type only when the first two are answered reliably. #### SHARE [mailto:email@example.com?subject=Mail%20from%20our%20Website](mailto:email@example.com?subject=Mail%20from%20our%20Website) [![JITbase block logo](https://www.jitbase.com/hs-fs/hubfs/eca01011d7169e8c6395a8d7eebe802d.webp?width=317&height=158&name=eca01011d7169e8c6395a8d7eebe802d.webp)](https://www.jitbase.com) ![image-2](https://www.jitbase.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image-2.webp?width=156&height=78&name=image-2.webp) Solutions - [Machine Monitoring](https://www.jitbase.com/machine-monitoring) - [Production Monitoring](https://www.jitbase.com/production-monitoring) - [Scheduling & Workforce Management](https://www.jitbase.com/workforce-management) - [Edge Platform](https://www.jitbase.com/edge-platform) - [Plans](https://www.jitbase.com/plans) Resources - [Download](https://www.jitbase.com/download) - [Education](https://www.jitbase.com/education) - [Return on Investment](https://www.jitbase.com/return-on-investment) - [CNC Machines we connect](https://www.jitbase.com/machines-we-connect) - [Demo Request](https://www.jitbase.com/demo) Why JITbase - [Why JITbase](https://www.jitbase.com/why-jitbase) - [About Us](https://www.jitbase.com/about-us) - [Partners](https://www.jitbase.com/partners) - [Contact Us](https://www.jitbase.com/contact) [Book a demo](https://www.jitbase.com/demo) [Connect Machines for Free](https://sso.jitbase.com/realms/webapp-ngen/protocol/openid-connect/registrations?client_id=website-frontend&response_type=code&scope=openid%20email&redirect_uri=https://admin.jitbase.com/next-gen) © 2026 All rights reserved. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.jitbase.com/privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Judicael Deguenon", "url" : "https://www.jitbase.com/blog/author/judicael-deguenon" }, "dateModified" : "2026-11-02T17:52:34.379Z", "datePublished" : "2026-11-02T17:52:34.000Z", "headline" : "Andon System for CNC Shops: Board, Calls and How to Start", "image" : [ "https://www.jitbase.com/hubfs/andon-system-cnc-shops.webp" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.jitbase.com/blog/andon-system-cnc-shops", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.jitbase.com/hubfs/logo%20jitbase%201.svg" }, "name" : "JITbase" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "FAQPage", "mainEntity" : [ { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "An andon system is a way to make a problem visible as soon as it happens and to get the right person to respond. It has three parts: a signal raised at the machine, a display that others can see, and a response from someone expected to act. The word andon is Japanese for lantern, and the idea comes from lean manufacturing. In a CNC shop it can be as simple as a light on the machine, or as complete as a screen that shows each machine, the type of call and how long it has waited. What makes it work is the response, not the equipment." }, "name" : "What is an andon system?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "An andon light, often a stack light on the machine, gives an immediate local signal through a color or a sound. It shows that something is wrong, but not what, and it keeps no history. An andon board is a screen that shows which machine called, for what reason and for how long. The two work together. 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A call that belongs to everyone usually belongs to no one. Set a target response time that you can measure, and review it every week. If a call waits long because the person was away, the fix is a backup, not another reminder to the operators." }, "name" : "Who should answer an andon call?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "An andon is about reacting now: a problem is raised and someone responds. An OEE dashboard is about measuring performance over a shift, a week or a month, through availability, performance and quality. They support each other. Faster responses shorten stops, which raises availability. The calls and reasons recorded by the andon also show which causes deserve a permanent fix." }, "name" : "How is an andon different from an OEE dashboard?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Start with two call types, maintenance and material, one screen that people walk past, and a named person for each type. Keep the list of stop reasons short and separate planned stops from breakdowns. After a few weeks, review the calls by type, the response times and the reasons that repeat. Add a call type only when the first two are answered reliably." }, "name" : "How do you start an andon in a small CNC shop?" } ] } ```