A rule-based method for packing a customer delivery unit containing a predetermined
plurality of spools of filamentary product thereon comprises the steps of: (a)
uniquely identifying each of a plurality of spools; (b) recording for each spool
information regarding the kind of product on the spool, the grade of the product
on the spool, and the weight of the product on the spool; (c) based on the product
kind, grade, and weight information, assigning to each spool an appropriate one
of a plurality of packing rules; and (d) selecting a predetermined plurality of
tubes for inclusion in a customer delivery unit in accordance with the packing
rule assigned to each selected tube. In another aspect the invention is directed
to a method for manufacturing spools of a filamentary product in which information
regarding predetermined process conditions in existence during the manufacture
of the filamentary product are monitored and stored in a database, the improvement
comprising: (a) storing in a database information regarding predetermined properties
of the fiber on each spool, and (b) for at least one of the spools, correlating
the manufacturing process information and the fiber property information.
