A computer-implemented method for identifying manufactured products in containers, each container suitable for containing two or more items , the method comprising the steps of: generating a set of unique item identifier codes, each identifier code corresponding to a specific item in a set of items; at a production line, uniquely identifying multiple items by marking the multiple items with the corresponding unique item identifier codes; at the production line, mechanically aggregating two or more items into a container with a container maker ; detecting, with one or more item readers placed either before or after the container maker but before an encoding processor of the container, the unique item identifier codes on the set of items aggregated into the container, and transmitting the detected unique item identifier codes to a processor; electronically storing the detected unique item identifier codes in a data store and associating the detected unique identifier codes with a temporary identifier for the container; at the production line, uniquely identifying the container by marking the container with a unique container identifier, using the encoding processor of the container ; detecting, with a reader located after the encoding processor of the container, the unique container identifier on the container and transmitting the detected unique container identifier to the processor; detecting, with a reader , one item identifier of the set of items aggregated in the container and transmitting the detected item identifier to the processor; determining unique item identifiers for multiple items in the container based on the detected unique item identifier associated with the temporary identifier for the container; and in the electronic data store, associating the determined unique item identifiers for multiple items in the container with the detected unique container identifier. generating a set of unique item identifier codes, each identifier code corresponding to a specific item in a set of items; at a production line, uniquely identifying multiple items by marking the multiple items with the corresponding unique item identifier codes; at the production line, mechanically aggregating two or more items into a container with a container maker ; detecting, with one or more item readers placed either before or after the container maker but before an encoding processor of the container, the unique item identifier codes on the set of items aggregated into the container, and transmitting the detected unique item identifier codes to a processor; electronically storing the detected unique item identifier codes in a data store and associating the detected unique identifier codes with a temporary identifier for the container; at the production line, uniquely identifying the container by marking the container with a unique container identifier, using the encoding processor of the container ; detecting, with a reader located after the encoding processor of the container, the unique container identifier on the container and transmitting the detected unique container identifier to the processor; detecting, with a reader , one item identifier of the set of items aggregated in the container and transmitting the detected item identifier to the processor; determining unique item identifiers for multiple items in the container based on the detected unique item identifier associated with the temporary identifier for the container; and in the electronic data store, associating the determined unique item identifiers for multiple items in the container with the detected unique container identifier. <EOS>