Most nonwoven companies use a computer system to track raw materials and finished goods. A key component of the system is barcodes. A barcode is simply a graphical way to represent in-formation using bars of varying thickness and spacing. The pattern of the barcode can be read by a scanner using a laser light. The top left photo show a barcode and what the bars mean. The next photo shows a barcoded label on a bale of fiber. The photos along the bottom show on the left, a computerized scanner that allows the employee to actually communicate and pro-gram a server computer using wi-fi. In the middle is a simple scanner that just relays the bar-code data to a computer. On the bottom right is a printer specifically designed to print labels that have bar codes.

The advantages of using barcodes are:

1. They are accurate.
2. They are a quick way to enter data.
3. Their use has become almost universal.