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Manufacturing process instruction (MPI) template

A manufacturing process instruction (MPI) tells the operator how to do one operation at one station, step by step: what to do, the machine settings and their limits, the tools and fixtures, the quality checks and the safety points, with a photo or sketch of each step. It is written from the engineering definition of the process and kept to the current revision. The name varies by company: some call the same document a work instruction, an operation sheet or a process sheet, and no standard defines it. Where a company also uses an engineering process instruction (EPI), the EPI defines the process and its limits for engineers, and the MPI turns that into steps for the operator. Page 1 of this template covers the part, revision, station, materials, tools and PPE and the first five steps; page 2 has three more steps, the revision history and approval. The Excel version flags any parameter target outside its limits and shows the current revision from the revision history.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the manufacturing process instruction templateFields for MPI number, part, revision, station, machine, cycle time and effective date, a PPE tick row, and a table of steps with columns for the operation, parameters, tools, quality check, safety and a photo box.
Part, revision and stationMaterials, tools and PPEOperation stepsParameters: target and toleranceQuality check per stepPhoto per stepRevision history and approval

When to use it

When to use a manufacturing process instruction

  • For every operation where the settings, the sequence or the checks matter to quality or safety.
  • When a new part, machine or process goes into production.
  • When different shifts do the same job in different ways and the results vary.
  • To train new operators on a station, together with on-the-job training.

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Fill in the header

    MPI number, part, revision, operation or station, machine, cycle time and effective date.
  2. 2

    Watch the job and list the steps

    Watch the best operator do it, and write each step in the order it is done, starting with a verb.
  3. 3

    Add the parameters

    For each step that has one: the setting, the target and the tolerance, taken from the engineering specification.
  4. 4

    Add the checks and safety points

    What is checked at each step, how and how often, and the safety point or PPE for that step.
  5. 5

    Add a photo or sketch

    A picture of each step shows what words cannot: the orientation, the grip, the position of the part.
  6. 6

    Approve and control the revision

    Have engineering, quality and production sign. On every change, update the revision, remove old copies and brief the operators.

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: three steps from an MPI for pressing a bearing into a housing (illustrative values).

The example's two controlled values

  • Press force, revision A10 to 14 kN
  • Press force, revision Btarget 12, 11 to 13 kN
  • Bearing depth, every part (gauge DG-3)target 2, 1.9 to 2.1 mm
Revision B narrowed the press force window from 10 to 14 kN to 11 to 13 kN after an engineering change; the old copies were collected from the station.
  • Step 2: place the housing in the fixture, bore facing up, against both locating pins. Check: the housing sits flat, no gap under it.
  • Step 3: press the bearing. Parameter: press force target 12 kN, 11 to 13 kN. Tool: press tool PT-14. Safety: two-hand start, hands clear.
  • Step 4: check the bearing depth with gauge DG-3: 2.0 mm, ±0.1 mm, every part. Out of limits: stop and tell the team leader.
  • Revision B: press force limits changed from 10 to 14 kN to 11 to 13 kN after an engineering change, approved by engineering and quality.

Operators on all three shifts worked to revision B from the day it was approved, and the old copies were collected from the station.

Common mistakes

  • Written at a desk

    An instruction written without watching the job misses the real sequence and the knacks. Write it at the station.

  • Too much text

    Long paragraphs are not read. One action per step, a few words, and a picture.

  • Missing limits

    "Set the pressure" is not enough. Give the target and the tolerance.

  • Old copies at the station

    Two revisions at the line means someone is working to the wrong one. Remove old copies on every change.

  • Nobody briefed on the change

    A new revision only works once the operators know what changed. Brief them before it is used.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

In LeanSuite the AI writes work instructions from a video of your best operator, with numbered steps, a picture for each and callouts for PPE, tools and warnings; drafts go to engineering, EHS and quality for e-signature, and each instruction has an owner, a review date and a version history.

See it in a 45-minute demo

FAQ

Manufacturing process instruction (MPI) template: common questions

  1. A step-by-step document that tells the operator how to do one operation: what to do, the settings and their limits, the tools, the quality checks and the safety points, usually with a photo of each step.

  2. An engineering process instruction defines the process for engineers: the parameters and limits, equipment, validation and acceptance criteria. A manufacturing process instruction turns that into the steps an operator follows at the station. Companies use the names differently, and no standard defines them.

  3. In practice, often yes. Some companies call it a work instruction, an operation sheet or a process sheet. What matters is that it covers the steps, settings, checks and safety for one operation, and that it is kept to the current revision.

  4. Usually engineering, quality and production, and sometimes EHS. The approval and the revision history show which version is current and who agreed to it.

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