You already know this: in manufacturing, time is money.
Information that’s delayed, lost in translation, or miscommunicated can bring everything to a grinding halt.
Whether you’re managing a single production line or overseeing multiple plants, having real-time access to the correct information at the right time can make or break your operation.
If you want to display static data on a single screen, you can do it yourself; it's no big deal. But what if you want to broadcast different information on hundreds of screens across your factory simultaneously without doing it manually?
This is where digital signage for manufacturing comes in. Think of digital signage software as a central information hub where you can play anything on any digital screen across your manufacturing plant.
Move over:
- Screens stuck on static company updates.
- Displays that can’t pull real-time data from your systems.
- Guesswork about team performance and bottlenecks.
Leading manufacturers are switching from traditional methods of communication in factories to modern-day displays for faster information flow. With digital signage solutions getting cheaper, now is a good time to modernize your factory’s communication system.
Why Digital Signage Matters in Manufacturing
Your factory floor currently runs on meetings, paper notices, and word-of-mouth communication. And let’s be honest—that’s not exactly how you drive productivity.
If your teams still rely on the old bulletin board, they’re likely missing important updates while figuring out what’s changed on the floor.
With platforms like L Squared, you can deliver real-time updates to every screen across your plant(s) in one click.
Manufacturers (likely including your competitors) are moving to digital displays, and there’s a good reason why.
Why Communication Breakdowns Happen—and How Digital Signage Fixes Them
Messages Get Lost in Translation
Ever played the game of telephone? That’s pretty much what happens when messages pass through supervisors and shifts.
By the time the operator gets the memo, it’s completely off-track. This leads to mistakes, delays, and frustration.
With digital signage, the message goes straight to every screen at the same time—there are no middlemen, and there is no confusion. Everyone gets the same, crystal-clear update instantly.
Production Problems Show Up Too Late
A machine isn’t working properly, but no one notices until the end of the shift. By then, it’s already caused delays, and you’re left scrambling to catch up. Sound familiar?
Real-time alerts pop up on screens the moment something’s wrong. Your team can jump on the issue before it spirals into a major problem.
Work Instructions That Just Can’t Keep Up
Let’s say there’s a sudden change in priorities. Now you’re struggling to update bulletin boards or print fresh memos. But guess what? Your team’s still following the old instructions while you’re catching up.
With digital signage, work instructions are updated in real-time across all screens. There is no rush, no confusion—only the latest information right when and where your team needs it.
Safety Messages Don’t Get Seen
Factories are noisy, busy places. Expecting your team to spot paper memos buried under yesterday’s updates is a bit too much to ask. Important safety notices? They often go unnoticed until it’s too late.
With digital signage, you can share emergency alerts and safety updates that flash boldly on screens, cutting through the noise. Bright colors and big text—there’s no way anyone can miss them.
Also Read: How Digital Signage Enhances Safety & Compliance in Manufacturing Industry
Departments Don’t Speak the Same Language
One team uses emails, another relies on bulletin boards, and a third prefers in-person meetings. Does this sound familiar? It’s no wonder things slip through the cracks.
Think of digital signage as the glue that holds your communication together. It creates one unified system where everyone sees the same updates, no matter where they are or how they work.
What These Benefits Look Like in Action
The true impact of digital signage goes beyond just the technical advantages. Let’s take a look at the factory-world benefits that come with switching to digital displays:
Faster Problem-Solving
Your teams spot and fix problems faster because they have better information when and where they need it.
With real-time data displayed across the factory floor, issues are flagged and addressed almost immediately, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency.
Easier Training
Training new operators becomes easy when clear, consistent instructions are displayed at their stations. This reduces confusion and accelerates the learning curve, so new employees get up to speed faster and make fewer mistakes.
Smoother Shift Handover
Shift handovers are smoother because incoming teams can see what happened during previous shifts. There is no more miscommunication or delay—everyone knows exactly where things stand and what needs attention.
Improved Safety Compliance
Safety compliance improves because important notices and protocols aren’t lost in the shuffle of paper updates or ignored on bulletin boards. Critical safety messages are displayed in real-time, so they’re impossible to miss.
Also Read: Real-Time Data Analytics Transforming Decision-Making in Manufacturing
Proactive Maintenance
Maintenance becomes more proactive because machine status is always visible, helping prevent unexpected breakdowns.
When equipment issues are displayed, your team can address potential problems before they affect production, keeping everything running smoothly.
Manufacturers who switch to L Squared’s digital signage solution see improvements within weeks, not months or years. Your team's process visual information faster, and digital signage ensures they have the correct information at the right time.
Core Use Cases of Digital Signage in Manufacturing
Digital signage isn't just a flashy signboard or TV; it solves everyday problems on the factory floor. Here's how different manufacturing facilities are using it to make a difference in their operations (we know a thing or two because we work with a lot of them):
1. Production Floor Communication
When it comes to getting information to your team fast, digital displays are second to none.
- Real-Time Performance Updates: Large displays showing production numbers and targets help your operators stay on track. They can quickly adjust their pace without waiting for supervisor updates. No more guessing if they’re on target.
- Work Instructions Made Simple: Step-by-step instructions on screens near each workstation help new hires quickly get up to speed. This is especially useful when processes change frequently, and the floor manager doesn’t have the time for individual briefings.
- Preventive Maintenance Alerts: When machines start showing signs of trouble, digital displays flash maintenance alerts, allowing your teams to spot and fix problems before they become costly breakdowns.
- Real-Time Quality Control: Quality control screens highlight defect patterns as soon as they emerge. That means your teams can address problems as they happen rather than discover them during end-of-shift reviews. It's quality control in real-time.
- Instant Safety Alerts: Safety notifications are displayed across all screens, ensuring everyone on the floor knows what to do in an emergency. No more searching for the safety bulletin when lives are at stake.
Also Read: Real-Time Displays: Enhancing Operational Transparency and Control
2. Employee Communication
Getting the right message to everyone across shifts can be challenging. But digital signage makes it easy.
- Smooth Shift Handover: Digital displays at each workstation ensure incoming teams know precisely what happened during the previous shift. There will be no more playing catch-up or dealing with “he said, she said” handovers.
- Company Updates in Real-Time: Important company updates reach everyone instantly. No more relying on word-of-mouth or bulletin boards that get lost in the shuffle. With digital signage, everyone sees the same message at the same time.
- Team Recognition: When a team hits a target or exceeds expectations, digital signage celebrates it. Recognition is displayed right where everyone can see it, boosting morale and encouraging healthy competition. We all giggle inside when we are praised in the workplace, right?
- Training Reminders & Certifications: Upcoming training schedules or certification deadlines pop up on screens automatically. No more chasing employees for training—it's all there, in plain sight, when they need it.
3. Supply Chain Visibility
Your supply chain is the backbone of your operations, and when things are off track, it impacts everything. Digital signage keeps your team in the loop with live updates on stock levels, incoming shipments, and production timelines. No more chasing down the logistics team for updates.
- Inventory Levels Made Clear: Screens in receiving areas show inventory levels in real time. Your teams know exactly when to expect deliveries and when to raise alerts about potential shortages. No more “Where’s the stock?” confusion.
- Efficient Loading Dock Management: Displays in loading docks help coordinate incoming and outgoing shipments. This reduces truck wait times and minimizes congestion, keeping everything flowing smoothly.
- Material Delivery Prioritization: Material handlers can see exactly where supplies are needed most. This visibility helps them prioritize deliveries, ensuring critical materials get to the right areas immediately.
- Instant Production Schedule Adjustments: When production schedules change, they’re instantly displayed across logistics screens. This allows your shipping teams to adjust their plans quickly, keeping the supply chain agile and responsive.
These are just a few of the ways (but not only) digital signage is transforming manufacturing facilities.
How to Deploy Digital Signage in Your Factory
To ensure your digital signage works reliably in a manufacturing environment, focus on these key factors:
Hardware Selection
Choosing the right displays is crucial. They must withstand your factory’s environment and be easily visible to your team.
- Go Industrial-Grade: Unlike consumer-grade TVs, industrial screens are built to last longer in harsh factory conditions. Over time, they prove to be more cost-effective.
- Match Screen Brightness to Your Environment: Like TV size, brightness matters! What works in an office won’t work on the factory floor, where lighting can vary. Ensure that your screens are visible in different lighting conditions.
- Mounting Locations Matter: Where you put up your screens is crucial. Displays need to be visible but also protected from potential damage. When choosing where to mount your screens, consider walkways, machinery, and traffic flow.
- Network Compatibility: Your current network might need a little upgrade. For digital signage to run smoothly without interrupting critical production data, ensure your network can handle the video feeds alongside other essential functions.
FYI: We partner with trusted brands like Lenovo, Samsung, and Intel to provide durable displays that are built for tough factory environments. Plus, having one vendor for both software and hardware simplifies implementation, ensuring everything works smoothly from day one.
Software Requirements
The right software ensures seamless content management across all screens. Here’s what to focus on:
- Easy Integration: Look for a system that integrates smoothly with your existing production software and won’t disrupt your current workflows. To keep things simple, make sure the software connects with your ERP, MES, and other systems.
- Quick Content Updates: Flexibility is important. Ensure you can update content quickly and easily—especially for safety messages, work instructions, or production updates.
- Emergency Overrides: In critical situations, you need to be able to override normal content. Whether it’s an emergency alert or an urgent safety notice, make sure the system has an override feature that pushes important messages through immediately.
- User-Friendly System: Keep it simple. The software should be intuitive and easy for your team to use. Complex systems are often underused due to the steep learning curve, which defeats the purpose of having digital signage in the first place. The simpler, the better.
Best Practices for Successful Digital Signage Implementation
Learn from successful manufacturers: here’s how to make your digital signage system as effective as possible.
Content Strategy
- Keep it simple and action-focused: Keep your messages short and to the point so your team knows exactly what to do when they look at a screen.
- Consistency is key. Your team has enough to handle without hunting down information. Use consistent layouts across all screens so everyone knows where to find key information.
- Create clear zones: Divide your screens into distinct sections: one area for production metrics, one for safety, and another for alerts. Clear zones make it easy to digest information quickly.
- Adapt to shifts: Not all shifts are the same. Adjust content based on time of day or shift to ensure the most relevant information is shown. And don’t worry—with digital signage tools like LSquared, automation handles the updates for you.
- Use colors to your advantage. Colors speak louder than words—red for problems, green for good, and yellow for caution. Be consistent across all screens so your team doesn’t have to guess what’s what.
- Visuals over text: Did you know visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text? Diagrams, charts, and infographics convey information faster than long paragraphs, especially on the factory floor.
- Keep it engaging: Stop playing the same content all day (please). Change it up now and then with some fun content. But ensure important details stay visible—don’t bury the essentials.
- Consider viewing distances: Text that looks good on your desktop might be unreadable from 20 feet away on the production floor. Adjust font sizes, contrast, and screen placement for maximum clarity.
Display Management
- Assign ownership: Ensure each type of content has a designated owner. Clear ownership avoids confusion, whether it’s production data, safety messages, or company updates.
- Approval process: Set up a streamlined approval process for new content. Urgent updates should never get bogged down in long review cycles.
- Test emergency messages: It’s not the most fun task, but test emergency alerts monthly to ensure they work when you need them most.
- Backup plan: Create a contingency plan for critical messages if a screen goes down or there's a system glitch.
- Share the load: Train multiple team members to manage the system. This way, you’re not dependent on a single person for all digital signage updates.
- Document standards: Keep a content style guide to ensure consistency, especially when new team members are onboarded or you expand to more facilities.
Screen Placement
- Strategic positioning: Place screens at decision-making points where employees need real-time data, such as workstations or team huddles, to act quickly.
- Natural hangouts: Mount screens at natural gathering points like break areas and shift handover locations so employees can easily catch up on info during downtime.
- Protect from elements: To avoid wear and tear, keep displays away from direct sunlight, water exposure, or dusty areas.
- Adjust for height: Mount displays at both standing and sitting levels so people can see them without straining.
- Clear sightlines: Avoid placing screens behind equipment or obstacles—what’s the point if no one can see the screen?
Content Updates
- Automate data feeds: Connect displays to your real-time production systems to update content automatically—no more manual data entry.
- Content review schedule: Set up a routine for reviewing and updating content regularly—especially for time-sensitive or safety-related messages.
- Use templates: Create templates for standard messages, making it easy for your team to update information quickly.
- Time stamps: Always include time stamps on manually updated content so everyone knows when the info was last refreshed.
- Verify accuracy: Implement a quick process to double-check the accuracy of the data displayed across all screens.
Performance Monitoring
- Track screen interactions: Observe how employees engage with screens and adjust placements for maximum visibility.
- Monitor message effectiveness: Identify which messages get the most attention and adjust content to match your team’s needs.
- Measure response times: Track how quickly teams react to alerts compared to old communication methods. This will show you the real impact of your digital signage.
- Gather team feedback: Regularly check in with team leads to learn what information they need most on the screens.
- System uptime: Monitor system reliability—if the screens go down, it could disrupt the whole operation.
Integration Strategy
- Real-time data connections: Link displays directly to your production systems like ERP and MES to show live data automatically—no manual updates required.
- Maintenance system integration: Connect displays to your maintenance system to show real-time equipment status and alerts.
- Quality system link: Connect to quality control systems so the screens show defect alerts instantly.
- HR system sync: Sync with HR systems to automatically display schedule and training reminders, keeping everyone up to date.
- Emergency system integration: Integrate emergency systems so critical messages override regular content when needed.
Change Management
- Start with a pilot: Test digital signage in one area before expanding to the rest of the facility.
- Get operator input: Ask operators what information would be most helpful on the screens. This ensures the system is practical and valuable.
- Train your team: Ensure employees understand how to use the system and interpret the data displayed on the screens.
- Celebrate early wins: Highlight successes and small victories to build momentum and support for full implementation.
- Keep gathering feedback: Even after full deployment, continue checking in with teams to tweak the system and ensure it meets their needs.
Future Trends in Manufacturing Communication
Like every other field, the digital signage landscape in manufacturing constantly evolves, and your system should grow alongside your facility.
- AI-powered systems: Soon, your displays will not just show real-time data—they’ll anticipate potential issues before they occur. Imagine getting an early warning about machine wear and tear before it leads to a breakdown, helping you stay one step ahead.
- Interactive screens: Operators can pull up detailed information at a moment’s notice. Need step-by-step troubleshooting? It’ll be on the screen, ready to guide them through the fix.
- Mobile integration: With mobile alerts, critical updates will reach your team members wherever they are, ensuring no one misses vital information—whether on the factory floor or in a meeting.
- Advanced analytics: As your signage system gathers more data, it’ll give you deeper insights. Want to know which messages are grabbing attention and which ones aren’t? Advanced analytics will help fine-tune your content strategy, ensuring you’re constantly communicating most effectively.
Also Read: Future Trends: The Evolution of Digital Signage in Manufacturing
You’re here because you know communication in your plant needs a shake-up. And while future tech like AI predictions is on the horizon, let's be honest—you need something that gets results right now.
L Squared offers a comprehensive digital signage solution that integrates seamlessly with your existing systems, providing:
- Real-time updates for production and safety.
- Effortless content management with an intuitive CMS.
- Reliable hardware partnerships built for industrial conditions.
Don’t just take our word for it—schedule a demo or sign up for a 7-day free-trial today and see how L Squared can help you modernize your factory, improve communication, and boost efficiency.
