Definition
A production instruction kanban is a card that authorizes a manufacturing process to produce a specific part in a specific quantity. It is one of the two primary kanban types in the Toyota Production System — the other being the withdrawal kanban. The production instruction kanban travels between a process and its output supermarket. When parts are withdrawn from the supermarket by a downstream process, the production kanban attached to those parts is detached and returned to the producing process as authorization to make replacement parts.
Japanese Origin
Shikake kanban (仕掛けかんばん) uses 仕掛け (shikake), which means “to set in motion” or “mechanism.” The full term conveys “the kanban that sets production in motion.” Ohno distinguished this clearly from the withdrawal kanban (引き取りかんばん) — one authorizes making, the other authorizes moving.
History at Toyota
The distinction between production and withdrawal kanban emerged as Toyota refined its kanban system through the 1950s and 1960s. In the earliest experiments, a single card might serve both functions. As the system matured and extended across more processes and to suppliers, the two-card system became standard because the production cycle and the delivery cycle operate on different rhythms and between different locations.
The two-card system is fundamental to how Toyota maintains the discipline of pull. Without separate cards, it becomes difficult to control production authorization independently from material movement — and the temptation to overproduce increases.
How It Actually Works
The production kanban cycle:
- Parts sit in a supermarket in standardized containers, each with a production kanban attached
- A downstream process (or mizusumashi) withdraws parts from the supermarket
- The production kanban is detached from the container and placed in a collection post at the producing process
- The producing process collects these returned kanban cards and produces parts in the sequence and quantities indicated
- Completed parts are placed in containers with their production kanban and returned to the supermarket
Information on the card typically includes:
- Part number and description
- Quantity per container
- Producing process name and location
- Supermarket storage location
- Container type
The key discipline: A process may only produce what is authorized by returned production kanban cards. No card, no production. This is the mechanism that prevents overproduction — the most fundamental waste in Ohno’s framework.
Common Mistakes
Producing without a kanban card. Any production not authorized by a returned kanban card is overproduction by definition. Some organizations allow operators to “build ahead” during downtime, which defeats the pull system entirely.
Accumulating cards and producing in large batches. When production kanban cards pile up before being acted on, the process effectively reverts to batch production. Cards should trigger production promptly, in small quantities.
Confusing production and withdrawal kanban functions. Using a single card for both authorization to produce and authorization to move creates ambiguity about which function is being served at any given moment. The two-card system exists precisely to maintain this clarity.