Lincoln Electric will become the industry’s first international welding equipment manufacturer to add 2D Microsoft® Tag barcodes to its welding products. The Microsoft Tag codes will be featured on the product nameplates of some of Lincoln Electric’s most popular equipment. With a simple scan from a web-enabled camera phone, these codes will help consumers in the pre-sale distributor showroom environment with product selection and customers in the post-sale environment with operational advice and support resources. The new Tag codes will allow consumers to access information without having to leave the showroom, garage or shop; they can pull up operational help tips and videos, product specification sheets and product comparisons, instruction manuals, related articles and company contact info on their phones. Lincoln Electric will begin including Microsoft Tag codes on some of its more popular machines, including the POWER MIG® 140, 180 and 216 models, the Square Wave™ TIG 175 and Outback® 145 and the Ranger® 225 engine-driven welder / generator machines. The company will eventually implement its 2D code program across all product lines.