A Study on Multi-Purpose Stack Light with Three Colors: Through Analysis of the Management System of a Barber and Beauty Store of a Case Company

Abstract

This paper discusses the successful factors of an advanced visual management
system to enhance the use of the relevant scheme. As a representative tool in the visual
management system, a stack light with three colors is the focus. It has been called ANDON in
the manufacturing industry, and many cases of this tool have been found in various factories.
This study deals with a stack light with three colors utilized in a barber and beauty store of a
case company, which is a multi-national service corporation. The procedure of this research
consists of three steps: The first step is analyzing a conventional case in the manufacturing
industry. The second step is analyzing an advanced case in the service industry. Finally, the
third step is comparing the two analyzed cases to extract their differences. A framework to
design a visual management system is adopted to analyze the two cases. In this framework, two
kinds of design items have to be considered. The first is a request action against users based on
information from a visual management system. The other is the elemental technologies of a
visual management system. In the analysis of this paper, a characteristic of analyzed cases is
clarified based on the two items. The obtained results yield two findings. Firstly, a visual
management system can be used for an effective utilization of management resource and an
improvement of customer satisfaction simultaneously. Secondly, a multi-purpose management
system with a visual management system will be expected by using differences of aspects of
information and interpretations of information provided from one related tool.