What Is a Job Ticket?
A job ticket is a document that contains the information and instructions needed to complete and track a specific job. It helps employees identify the work, follow the required steps, and record what has been completed.
Job tickets are commonly used in manufacturing, repair shops, warehouses, printing operations, maintenance departments, and other workplaces where a job moves through multiple steps or departments.
What Information Is Included on a Job Ticket?
The information on a job ticket depends on the organization and the type of work being performed. A typical job ticket may include:
- Job number or work order number
- Customer, department, or project name
- Part number, product number, or item description
- Quantity to be produced, repaired, picked, or inspected
- Required materials or components
- Work instructions or production steps
- Assigned department, workstation, or employee
- Priority level and required completion date
- Quality-control or inspection checkpoints
- Operator initials, signatures, dates, or timestamps
- Shipping, routing, or delivery instructions
Keeping the ticket with the job helps prevent the paperwork from becoming separated from the work.
How Is a Job Ticket Used?
A job ticket is normally created when a work order is released. It may remain at one workstation or travel with the product, material, cart, bin, vehicle, or equipment throughout the work process.
In manufacturing, the ticket may be printed in the production office and then travel with the material through cutting, assembly, inspection, packaging, and shipping. Employees can review the instructions and record completed steps directly on the document.
When a job ticket moves with the work from one operation to another, it may also be called a job traveler, shop traveler, routing card, or work order traveler.
Why Is the Job Ticket Important?
A job ticket helps an organization:
- Keep instructions with the correct job
- Identify the status and location of the work
- Reduce misplaced paperwork and production errors
- Communicate requirements between departments
- Document inspections and completed operations
- Maintain traceability and accountability
- Support lean, 5S, and visual-management practices
In regulated or quality-controlled industries, the completed job ticket may also become part of the permanent production or service record.
What Is a Job Ticket Holder?
A job ticket holder is a reusable protective sleeve that keeps the job ticket visible and with the work.
Most industrial job ticket holders are made from clear flexible vinyl. The clear panel allows employees to read the paperwork without removing it, while the holder protects the document from dirt, grease, moisture, repeated handling, and accidental loss.
Depending on the application, the holder may be attached to:
- Production carts and workstations
- Parts bins, totes, and storage containers
- Machinery and equipment
- Warehouse racks and shelving
- Vehicles and repair equipment
- Hooks, pegboard, rails, or wire shelving
- Steel surfaces using magnetic backing
Why Not Use an Ordinary Sheet Protector?
Standard office sheet protectors are designed mainly for storage in binders. They are generally too light for repeated handling in manufacturing, warehouse, repair, and maintenance environments.
Industrial job ticket holders are made for more demanding use and may include:
- Heavy-duty clear vinyl panels
- Reinforced stitched or heat-welded edges
- Metal eyelets or reinforced hang holes
- Magnetic, adhesive, strap, or hanging configurations
- Color-coded trim or tinted backing
- Press-lock or protective closures
- Portrait and landscape opening options
What Is the Difference Between a Job Ticket and a Work Order?
A work order is the authorization or instruction to perform a specific task. A job ticket is often the printed document used to communicate and track that work on the shop floor.
In many organizations, the same document serves both purposes, so the terms may be used interchangeably. The terminology usually depends on the company, software system, and industry.
Other Names for a Job Ticket
Procurement buyers may encounter several names for similar documents:
- Work Order
- Shop Ticket
- Repair Order
- Production Ticket
- Job Traveler
- Shop Traveler
- Manufacturing Traveler
- Routing Card
- Route Sheet
- Process Sheet
- Inspection Record
- Service Ticket
The exact information may vary, but these documents generally communicate instructions and track work through an operating process.
Choosing the Correct Job Ticket Holder
The most important measurement is the size of the document being inserted, not the outside dimensions of the holder. Buyers should also consider:
- Insert size – The width and height of the actual document
- Orientation – Portrait or landscape
- Opening side – Short-side or long-side opening
- Construction – Heavy-duty stitched or economical heat-welded
- Mounting method – Eyelet, magnetic, strap, adhesive, or plain
- Environment – Dry, oily, dusty, wet, outdoor, or wash-down conditions
- Identification – Clear, color-coded trim, tinted backing, or opaque backing
- Quantity – Department needs, facility-wide use, or custom production
Physical job ticket holders are especially useful when paperwork must travel with the work, electronic devices are impractical, or the job needs to be identified quickly from a distance.
TIE Office-Mates Job Ticket Holders
TIE Office-Mates manufactures reusable job ticket and document holders for manufacturing, warehouse, maintenance, repair, logistics, and office applications.
Available configurations include heavy-duty stitched holders, heat-welded holders, magnetic holders, self-adhesive holders, hanging strap holders, color-coded styles, solid-back holders, waterproof styles, and custom-made designs.
Use our Product Size Selector Assistant to match the holder to your document size and orientation. For non-standard sizes, special mounting requirements, custom colors, or unique pocket configurations, visit our Custom Design Request Page.