If you work in manufacturing, you've probably heard phrases like:
"Please issue the processing order."
"I'll print the processing order slip."
"Please work according to this processing order."
These kinds of comments come up all the time on the shop floor.
If you're new to manufacturing, you might find yourself thinking,
"What exactly is a processing order?"
That's a perfectly natural question.
This article explains, in beginner-friendly terms, what a "processing order" and a "processing order slip" are in a manufacturing context.
What Is a Processing Order?
Put simply, a processing order is
an instruction to the shop floor specifying which product to process, how, and in what quantity
.
For example, suppose a customer orders 100 shirts.
Once that order comes in,
シャツA
数量：100枚
納期：7月20日
information like this alone isn't enough for the shop floor to start work.
So the following details need to be gathered and communicated to the shop floor:
- Which product to make
- How many units to make
- Which factory will process it
- The deadline for completion
- Which materials to use
All of this information, put together, is the processing order.
A Processing Order Is a "Work Request to the Shop Floor"
You can think of a processing order as a work request from the company to the manufacturing floor.
For example,
商品：シャツA
数量：100枚
納期：7月20日
加工先：第1工場
once this instruction is issued,
the shop floor proceeds with production according to these details.
In other words, a processing order is
a formal instruction saying, "Please manufacture according to these specifications."
What Is a Processing Order Slip?
A processing order slip is
the document or record on which the contents of a processing order are written down
.
In the past, it was common to print this on paper and hand it to the shop floor.
Nowadays, more and more companies check it on screen through a production management system instead.
For instance, a processing order slip typically includes the following details:
- Processing order number
- Item code
- Item name
- Quantity
- Delivery date
- Processing location
- Materials to be used
- Remarks
Workers on the shop floor carry out their tasks by referring to this slip.
The Difference Between a Processing Order and a Processing Order Slip
These two terms look similar, but they mean different things.
A processing order is
the instruction itself — "Please manufacture this."
A processing order slip, on the other hand,
is the document or data that records that instruction.
For example,
加工指図
↓
「シャツAを100枚作る」
given an instruction like this,
the version of it written down on paper or entered into a system is the
加工指図伝票
— the processing order slip.
In short,
Processing order = the instruction
Processing order slip = the document recording that instruction
That's the difference between the two.
What Happens Without a Processing Order?
Without a processing order, the shop floor has no way of knowing what to make.
For example, if nobody knows
- which product to make
- how many units to make
- the deadline for completion
- which materials to use
then
different people might end up doing the work differently.
You could say a processing order is
the common standard that lets everyone on the shop floor work from the same information
.
When Is a Processing Order Issued?
This varies by company, but in many cases the flow looks like this:
受注
↓
生産計画
↓
加工指図発行
↓
製造開始
In other words,
the processing order is issued only after it has been decided what to make.
Processing Orders Can Also Change
Even after production has started, things like the following can occur:
- Quantity changes
- Delivery date changes
- Material changes
- Changes to the processing location
and similar issues.
When this happens, a new processing order is issued, or the existing one is revised, to communicate the change to the shop floor.
For this reason,
always checking the latest version of the processing order
is extremely important.
Why the Processing Order Number Matters in a System
In a production management system,
each processing order is assigned a number.
For example, given a number like
加工指図番号：250001
you can later trace back
- which product was made
- when it was made
- which materials were used
- how many units were completed
- how many units were defective
and more.
Because of this, the processing order number is a crucial key for managing production history.
Summary
A processing order is
an instruction to the shop floor specifying which product to process, how, and in what quantity
.
A processing order slip is
the document, or the corresponding data in a system, that records that processing order
.
In short,
Processing order = the manufacturing instruction
Processing order slip = the slip on which that instruction is written
That's the difference between the two.
In manufacturing, the shop floor carries out its work based on this processing order.
Because of this, the processing order plays a vital role in connecting the shop floor to production management.