A method and system is provided for permanently and visibly marking reusable packing crates with a unique mark and using the mark to identify and track the crate in a manufacturing environment. The mark can include a two-dimensional barcode comprised of holes drilled through one or more sidewalls of the crate to produce a unique and permanent pattern for identification. The code can be used to identify a crate uniquely and to assign waypoint data, process management data and content data that can be stored in a computer database. The data can be used for tracking information capabilities and business intelligence in and for manufacturing management systems.