WHITEPAPER

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by Don Korfhage

President of IGear

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NOV 18, 2025

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Contents

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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1. THE PURPOSE OF VISUAL MANAGEMENT

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2. WHY PAPER BOARDS FALL BEHIND

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3. ONE-SOURCE+IGNITION: A UNIFIED DIGITAL PLATFORM

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4. COLLABORATION, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND REAL-TIME ACTION

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5. ACCESSIBLE WHEREVER WORK HAPPENS

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6. BUSINESS IMPACT

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ABOUT IGEAR

 

                                                                                                                                                     

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Executive Summary

 

Visual management remains one of the most effective ways for manufacturers to anchor daily operations, guide problem solving, and maintain alignment across shifts. However, paper boards and ad-hoc digital displays can no longer keep pace with the speed and complexity of modern production environments. As companies face tighter labor, greater variability, and rising expectations for accuracy and transparency, the need for a unified, real-time, and easily maintainable visual management system is more important than ever.

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This white paper explains how One-Source and Ignition Perspective work together to create a complete digital visual management platform. Ignition o1ers real-time insight from machines and systems; One-Source extends that power by centralizing information, simplifying board creation, and enabling collaboration across the organization. The result is a flexible, scalable, and highly e1ective approach to managing performance and driving continuous improvement on the factory floor.

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1. The Purpose of Visual Management

 

Visual management boards—such as SQDC, FMDS, tiered meetings, and Gemba Walk boards—are essential tools for communication and alignment. They give teams a clear understanding of current performance, where gaps exist, and what actions need to be taken. These boards help define team roles, focus attention on priority issues, and support learning and development. Most importantly, they foster a culture where safety, quality, and accountability are consistently reinforced.

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Paper-based boards have long served this function, but the increasing pace of operations demands tools that keep information accurate, accessible, and actionable.

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2. Why Paper Boards Fall Behind

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Paper boards require constant printing, posting, and manual updates, which leads to wasted time and frequent errors. Information quickly becomes outdated, and only individuals physically near the board can benefit from it. These boards are also static, limiting the ability to explore details, incorporate multimedia, or connect to live data sources. As a result, they often fail to support timely decisions or provide a complete view of current conditions.

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Digital transformation removes these barriers by ensuring that information is always current, connected, and available wherever teams need it.

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​3. One-Source+Ignition: 

    A Unified Digital Platform

 

Ignition Perspective provides real-time machine data and mobile-responsive visualizations.

One-Source complements this by serving as the operational hub where all information— Ignition views, reports, documents, dashboards, and procedures—can be brought together in a single interactive board.

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With One-Source, operations teams can build or update digital boards using simple drag and-drop tools. No coding or IT support is required, allowing team leads and continuous improvement staff
to adapt boards quickly as processes evolve. Boards can be designed to match existing paper
formats, easing the transition from physical to digital systems while immediately improving accuracy and consistency.

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By embedding Ignition Perspective views directly into One-Source, teams can make decisions based on live performance instead of yesterday’s printouts. Production status, downtime, OEE, quality trends, and machine-level data become visible at the center of daily discussions.

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​​​​4. Collaboration, Accountability, and Real-Time Action

 

One-Source turns visual management from a passive display into an active engagement platform.
Users can communicate directly from the board, share concerns with the right people, and attach notes or supporting material to specific metrics. When issues arise, customizable workflows guide teams through the expected steps of investigation and response. Escalation rules can automatically notify supervisors or experts when a problem persists, ensuring timely support and preventing recurring issues from being overlooked.

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Action plans can be created and tracked within the board itself, giving teams a clear record of
who is responsible for each task and how progress is advancing. Thumbnail previews and real-time
tiles help teams quickly recognize abnormalities and move into problem solving mode with confidence and clarity.

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5. Accessibility Wherever Work Happens

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Visibility is critical. One-Source allows boards to be displayed on large interactive kiosks at the production line, on desktop stations throughout the facility, and on tablets or mobile devices used by supervisors and managers. Integration with Microsoft Teams extends access even further, ensuring that remote teams, corporate leaders, and support personnel can see the same information as the factory floor. This consistency strengthens alignment and makes cross-functional collaboration much easier.

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6. Business Impact

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Manufacturers using One-Source and Ignition together report faster decision-making, reduced time spent preparing boards, and more reliable information for shift reviews. Employee engagement improves because teams can see and understand performance clearly, and leadership gains greater confidence in the accuracy and timeliness of the data being reviewed. Collaboration becomes more fluid, and recurring issues are addressed more systematically. Over time, organizations achieve better consistency, stronger problem-solving capabilities, and a more scalable visual management culture.

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