diff --git a/include/Engine/Core/ComponentInfo.h b/include/Engine/Core/ComponentInfo.h
index 137a44d8..e3b77d1d 100644
--- a/include/Engine/Core/ComponentInfo.h
+++ b/include/Engine/Core/ComponentInfo.h
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define ComponentInfo_h__
 
 #include "../Common.h"
+#include "Entity.h"
 #include <boost/shared_array.hpp>
 
 struct ComponentInfo
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ struct ComponentInfo
     {
         std::string Name;
         std::string Type;
+        unsigned char Index;
         unsigned int Offset;
         unsigned int Stride;
     };
@@ -32,6 +34,16 @@ struct ComponentInfo
     unsigned int Stride = 0;
     boost::shared_array<char> Defaults = nullptr;
 	std::shared_ptr<Meta_t> Meta = nullptr;
+
+    std::size_t GetHeaderSize() const
+    {
+        std::size_t size = 0;
+
+        // A component block starts with an entity ID
+        size += sizeof(EntityID);
+
+        return size;
+    }
 };
 
 template<>
diff --git a/include/Engine/Core/ComponentPool.h b/include/Engine/Core/ComponentPool.h
index aedfd06b..84b38d29 100644
--- a/include/Engine/Core/ComponentPool.h
+++ b/include/Engine/Core/ComponentPool.h
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ public:
 
     ComponentPool(const ::ComponentInfo& ci) 
         : m_ComponentInfo(ci)
-        , m_Pool(ci.Meta->Allocation, sizeof(EntityID) + ci.Stride)
+        , m_Pool(ci.Meta->Allocation, ci.GetHeaderSize() + ci.Stride)
     { }
     ~ComponentPool();
 	ComponentPool(const ComponentPool& other);
diff --git a/include/Engine/Core/ComponentWrapper.h b/include/Engine/Core/ComponentWrapper.h
index 7897e874..de8c1554 100644
--- a/include/Engine/Core/ComponentWrapper.h
+++ b/include/Engine/Core/ComponentWrapper.h
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ struct ComponentWrapper
     ComponentWrapper(const ComponentInfo& componentInfo, char* data)
         : Info(componentInfo)
         , EntityID(*reinterpret_cast<::EntityID*>(data))
-        , Data(data + sizeof(::EntityID))
+        , Data(data + componentInfo.GetHeaderSize())
     { }
 
     const ComponentInfo& Info;
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ struct ComponentWrapper
     }
 
     template <typename T>
-    T& Field(std::string name)
+    T& Field(const std::string& name)
     {
         const ComponentInfo::Field_t& field = Info.Fields.at(name);
         if (sizeof(T) > field.Stride) {
@@ -55,13 +55,13 @@ struct ComponentWrapper
     }
 
     template <typename T>
-    void SetField(std::string name, const T value) { Field<T>(name) = value; }
+    void SetField(const std::string& name, const T value) { Field<T>(name) = value; }
     //template <typename T>
     //void SetField(std::string name, T& value) { Field<T>(name) = value; }
 
     // Specialization for string literals
     template <std::size_t N>
-    void SetField(std::string name, const char(&value)[N]) { Field<std::string>(name) = std::string(value); }
+    void SetField(const std::string& name, const char(&value)[N]) { Field<std::string>(name) = std::string(value); }
 
     void Copy(ComponentWrapper& destination)
     {
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ struct ComponentWrapper
         template <std::size_t N>
         void operator=(const char(&val)[N]) { m_Component->SetField<N>(m_PropertyName, val); }
     };
-    SubscriptProxy operator[](std::string propertyName) { return SubscriptProxy(this, propertyName); }
+    SubscriptProxy operator[](const std::string& propertyName) { return SubscriptProxy(this, propertyName); }
 };
 
 // A component wrapper that "owns" its data through a shared pointer
diff --git a/src/Engine/Core/EntityXMLFilePreprocessor.cpp b/src/Engine/Core/EntityXMLFilePreprocessor.cpp
index 9695509d..132d962a 100644
--- a/src/Engine/Core/EntityXMLFilePreprocessor.cpp
+++ b/src/Engine/Core/EntityXMLFilePreprocessor.cpp
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ void EntityXMLFilePreprocessor::parseComponentInfo()
         auto modelGroup = modelGroupParticle->getModelGroupTerm();
 
         // <xs:element... 
+        unsigned char fieldIndex = 0;
         unsigned int fieldOffset = 0;
         auto particles = modelGroup->getParticles();
         for (unsigned int i = 0; i < particles->size(); ++i) {
@@ -182,12 +183,14 @@ void EntityXMLFilePreprocessor::parseComponentInfo()
             auto& field = compInfo.Fields[name];
             field.Name = name;
             field.Type = effectiveType;
+            field.Index = fieldIndex;
             field.Offset = fieldOffset;
             field.Stride = stride;
             compInfo.FieldsInOrder.push_back(name);
             if (field.Type == "string") {
                 compInfo.StringFields.push_back(name);
             }
+            fieldIndex += 1;
             fieldOffset += stride;
         }