Advanced Laboratory Inventory Guide

• In-transit stock stays out of stock totals. In-transit items are tracked separately and do not count in units on hand, usable stock, stock value or low-stock warnings until marked received. Spend counts an order from its purchase date, whether it is in transit or received.
• Order status drives visibility. Items marked In transit are highlighted, with their expected arrival date; a date that has passed is shown in red. Mark them received from the in-transit menu to move them into active stock. Once stock is received, only a lab manager or admin can set it back to In transit. Undo, offered right after you mark it received, puts back that click while nothing else has changed. Undo also refuses if any of its stock has been used. Receiving keeps the original purchase date; the one-click Receive action receives the whole record. For partial deliveries, use the delivery review.
• Stickers are for received inventory. Print stickers shows only after items are received so the scanner never points at unconfirmed stock.
• Used entries keep their figures. Once any of an entry's stock is used, its item, quantities, price and dates are locked. You can still move it or change its tags and notes. Used stock records cannot be deleted.
• Inventory vs Orders view. Use Inventory for current stock summaries and Orders to review each entry, lot number, and receipt status.

• Enable expiration per inventory entry. Turn on expiration tracking when receiving stock and decide if all units share one date or if each unit has its own expiration date (one date per unit, as there is one sticker per unit).
• Warnings and expired states are visual. Expiring inventory appears in the dashboard and project view with yellow warning and red expired styling.
• Use after expiry is controlled at the item level. Expired stock can be used only when its catalog item has “Can be used after expiry” on, and then needs no confirmation. Otherwise scanned and manual use refuse it, and it counts as a write-off. On a saved item, only a lab manager or admin can change the setting.

Technical details about how stickers work and what data they encode.

• What is encoded. Each code identifies the inventory entry and, when tracked, the unit's expiration record. The expiry date and lot number are printed beside the code; the scanner reads the current details from Laima.
• Stickers with expiration tracking. When expiration dates are recorded, you get one sticker for each dated unit still in stock. Each sticker identifies that unit's expiration record so the scanner knows exactly which batch is being used. Example: 10 units with 3 different expiration dates produce 10 stickers, each with its own date. For a single stock record, choose Each batch under Stickers for to get one sticker per expiration date instead (3 in the example), to label a whole box or bin once. Units already used get no dated sticker. If no dated units remain, Print stickers offers one general record sticker; it does not add stock. A dated sticker stands for its stock record and expiry date, so one sticker on a bin can be scanned every time: enter how many you used, and Laima takes them from that batch. It refuses the sticker only when no unit of that date is left.
• Stickers without expiration tracking. Without expiration dates, the default is one sticker for each package left, at least one. For a single undated stock record, change Copies to print another number. All copies identify the same record; printing more does not add stock.
• FEFO allocation. Within the selected location, Laima recommends the project's own stock first, then shared stock: each with the earliest expiration date first, followed by undated stock by purchase date. Manual consumption previews the allocation and can split a quantity across eligible batches. Choosing later-expiring stock requires confirmation and a reason.
• Codes and paper. The Print stickers dialog makes a PDF with Data Matrix or QR codes for a 39 mm label printer, plain A4 or US Letter sheets to cut, or Avery 22806 label sheets, with a preview of where each sticker lands. Each device remembers its code and paper. Print at 100% (Actual size) for accurate scanning. One job can print up to 10,000 Data Matrix stickers or 2,000 QR stickers.
• When stickers become available. Print stickers only appears after the stock is received. This prevents printing labels for unconfirmed stock.
• Reprinting stickers. You can reprint stickers any time with Print stickers on the stock record page. Reprint after correcting lot or expiry details so the printed text matches the record. Replacing expiration dates can also replace the unit records that old dated stickers identify.

When calculating totals and reports, the system values each entry by its own price, else its average price, and never guesses a price it does not have.

Prices are per package and can keep up to six decimal places. Totals use the stored precision and round when displayed, so multiplying a rounded price on screen can differ from the displayed total. Zero is a known price; a missing entry price can use the stored estimate described below.

• Entry price wins. If an inventory entry has its own price set, totals and reports use that value. This is the most accurate option.
• Average price is a snapshot. When you create an inventory entry, the system saves the current catalog price, converted to the entry's package size, as its "average price": a catalog price of 50.00 for a box of 5 gives a box of 10 an average price of 100.00. It is taken again if the entry's item, package size or price changes before any of it is used. This keeps older entries consistent even if catalog pricing changes later.
• Otherwise the price is unknown, not 0. If an entry has no price and no stored average price, totals leave it out and count it as without price. The current catalog price is never used for it.
• Catalog price can update automatically. The catalog price follows the price entered on the item's newest priced inventory entry (by purchase date), converted to the catalog's package size. A price filled in from the catalog and saved unchanged does not count. Future entries will then pick up the new value as their average price.
• For accuracy, set entry prices. If you need precise spend tracking, enter a specific price when you add or receive stock; anyone can enter it then. Later, until any of its stock is used, a lab manager or admin can correct it on Edit stock or in Finance > Expenses.

Warning thresholds help you reorder before running out.

• Set thresholds on catalog items. Define the number of units, not packages, at which a low-stock warning starts. 0 warns only when the stock runs out; leaving the threshold blank turns warnings off for that item. On a saved item, only a lab manager or admin can change the threshold.
• Warnings appear in the dashboard. Items at or below the threshold show in the dashboard widget and in the inventory list with a warning badge.
• Thresholds are per-item, checked per owner. Each project's stock of the item and the shared stock are checked on their own: the warning fires when their usable units are at or below the threshold, however many inventory entries hold them. Expired units count only when the item can be used after expiry.
• Items that cannot be ordered stay quiet. Turn off “Can be ordered” on an item to suppress low-stock warnings and keep empty items off warning lists. On a saved item, only a lab manager or admin can change “Can be ordered”.
• Order what is low. Choose View low-stock suggestions on the dashboard, or open Warehouse → Order requests, to save a request for each distributor and email it from its page.

• Tag items and inventory. Tags can be applied at the catalog or inventory level and are filterable across warehouse views.
• Tag view is dual-mode. Each tag has Inventory and Catalog tabs so you can see both stock and catalog coverage.
• Notes surface at scan time. Inventory notes and tags show in the scanner so handlers see special instructions before consuming.

• Multi-filter inventory. Filter by items, projects, tags, distributors, and locations to narrow to the exact stock you need.
• Search everywhere. Catalog, inventory, projects, and expenses tables include quick search to find records fast.
• Quick add from stock lists. The quantity column includes a shortcut to receive more stock for that exact item or project.

• Project tabs consolidate everything. Each project includes cost breakdown, expenses by distributor (purchased vs consumed), stock, consumption history, and expiring items.
• Directly add stock to a project. The project stock table includes shortcuts to receive inventory into that project.
• Archive instead of delete. Projects can be archived and restored from the edit screen. Archived projects remain visible with a badge.
• Consumption respects project assignment. A scanned inventory entry keeps its assigned project. During manual consumption, project-specific stock is allocated before shared stock.

• Locations can be nested, two levels deep. A top-level location, such as a freezer, can hold shelves or boxes; those hold no further locations.
• Location stickers label the place. Use stock → Scan to use reads inventory stickers only and asks for the item's sticker when it sees a location sticker. To see what a place holds, filter Warehouse → Inventory by it or download its Contents list.
• Parent filters include children. Filtering by a parent location includes inventory stored in child locations.
• Move a location or its stock. Edit a location's Inside field to move it beneath another top-level location; a location with children stays at the top level. Move all to moves stock and in-transit records stored directly there. It does not move records in its sub-locations; move those separately.
• Delete only empty locations. A lab manager or admin can delete a location and its sub-locations once none holds stock or incoming orders. Used-up stock records remain, but their deleted location is cleared.
• Contents list for the door. Contents next to a location's Sticker button downloads a PDF of the records in stock there and in its sub-locations, with units left and next expiry. Expired units are red, units expiring within 30 days orange. It prints on A4 unless US Letter was last chosen in the Print stickers dialog on that device.
• Same dialog for every sticker. Inventory and location stickers both use Print stickers: Data Matrix or QR, on a label printer or on sheets.
• Scanner-ready labels. Printing and attaching stickers keeps scans fast and reduces stock-selection mistakes. If a sticker is unavailable, use Use stock → Use manually instead.

• Preview before creating items. Upload the completed Excel template and review valid, invalid, and total rows with issue details. Invalid rows are not imported. Either format skips the template's example row only while it is unchanged, and the preview says so.
• Review supplier spreadsheets. Upload an XLSX, XLS or UTF-8 CSV price list. Laima finds the separator, the heading row and the sheets with products, fills in the columns it recognises by their headings, and AI chooses the rest when you have AI access and available credit. Pack sizes go into the item names. The preview shows how each column was read; choose Change columns to correct it. Nothing is imported until you confirm the preview.
• Auto-create packages and distributors. New package units or distributors are flagged and created during import.
• Tags can be imported. Provide comma-separated tags in the template to automatically create and attach them to items.
• Start over if needed. You can reset the import and re-upload if validation fails.
• Review errors after import. Open Import history, select the import and download its skipped rows (the error report) when available. Supplier row errors retain the source sheet and row so you can correct the original file.
• Take an import back. On the import's page, Remove added items deletes the items it added that have no stock record and are on no order, after asking. Items you edited since the import go too; the others stay.

Ask about quantities, low-stock items or expiry dates. Use an item name or catalog number, and narrow the question by supplier, location or tag when useful. You can check several items in one request.

For a question that names a location, such as “What is in Freezer A?”, Laima counts the units kept there and in the shelves or boxes inside it, the same figure as that location's Contents list. An item's stock in all locations is given only as a labelled total. For a project, Laima counts only the project's own units kept there, as every stock summary for a project does; the Contents list counts every owner's. When your words are a location's exact name, Laima answers for that location even if some product names contain them, and mentions those products.

For “Where are our pipette tips, and which lot should we use first?”, Laima can show the received inventory, available quantity, project, location, lot and expiry. For a project, it suggests the project's own usable stock first, then shared stock, each with the earliest expiry first. For the whole lab or shared stock it suggests no lot and asks which project the stock is for. If several catalog products match, choose the one you mean before continuing.

You can also ask what one unit or package costs. Laima shows each stock record's unit and package prices and identifies copied prices or catalog estimates; a missing price stays unknown.

Which stock is included?

• Whole lab: stock across your lab, including project stock and unassigned shared stock.
• Shared stock: inventory that is not assigned to a project.
• A project: its own stock only, for questions about how much stock there is, what a location holds and what is low, as its Stock tab lists it. Finding an item's lots and which to use first, forecasts, materials checks and the Use dialog count its own stock and shared stock; an archived project counts only its own stock.

Checking a materials list uses a project's own stock first, then shared stock. A whole-lab or shared check uses only shared stock. Stock assigned to another project is not treated as available for your list.

Orders are shown separately from stock you have received. Expired stock is excluded from usable stock unless its item can be used after expiry. Stock without an expiry date counts as usable. Finding a lot does not reserve it or record its use. Use the normal consumption workflow when you take stock.

Ask “Show spending by supplier last month” or “Which items have not been used for 90 days?” Laima uses the same calculations as the Reports screens and can link to the report or provide an Excel download.

• Be specific about the period. Say “this month,” “last 30 days,” or give start and end dates. For spending, specify purchased stock, consumed stock or both, and cost or quantity.
• Narrow the results. Ask for a project, item, supplier, location or tag where the report supports it. You can also set thresholds, such as a minimum price variation or number of unused days.
• Check individual usage in Laima. Ask Laima opens the team-member usage report for you to review. Account names and email addresses stay out of AI requests.
• Get the full picture. A reply may show one page of results. Ask for the remaining results or an Excel download. Report totals cover all matching records, not just the displayed page.

A project's consumption report follows the project that used the stock, even when it came from shared inventory. Stock balances, and what a location holds, follow the project that owns the stock, while finding an item's lots and forecasts for a project also count shared stock. This can explain differences between the answers.

Price variation compares explicitly entered purchase prices per unit; estimates, prices copied from the catalog or an order, and unknown prices are left out. It does not by itself show that prices rose over time. Expiring value at risk uses the report's own expiry rules, with item and project filters. For a specific expiry date range, ask a stock question instead.

Ask “How long will these gloves last, based on the last 60 days?” You can request forecasts for several items and change the period of recorded consumption used for the estimate. The period counts full days before today, so today's use is not included: “the last 60 days” are the 60 days up to yesterday, or fewer when use was first recorded later.

• Laima uses recorded usage and current usable stock, allowing for quantities that may expire before they can be used, unless the item can be used after expiry.
• When there is too little recent history or expiry information is incomplete, Laima shows the available facts and explains what prevents a full estimate.
• A recorded supplier lead time can support a suggested reorder date. Enter it under Warehouse → Distributors → Lead time (calendar days) for the preferred supplier, or specify which supplier to use.
• Orders and their expected arrival dates are shown separately. They do not extend the estimate for current stock. Record known dates in the order's Expected arrival date field.

Estimates assume usage stays similar and consumption has been recorded. A whole-lab estimate pools the lab's stock; it does not promise that the same supply is available to one project. Recheck when plans or stock change.

Ask “Why did our ethanol stock drop last week?” or “What changed in Project Alpha between September 1 and September 15?” Laima can bring together consumption and recorded changes to inventory, expiry and project details, with dates and links to the supporting records.

Laima can explain what was recorded. If the available history cannot fully account for an old balance, it identifies the gaps instead of guessing the cause. Ask to see the remaining records when an answer covers several pages. Recorded changes and reconciliations come from the audit trail, so only admins get them; for other members Laima shows the uses and says the audit trail was left out.

Attach a file

Use Attach files in Ask Laima, drop files onto the chat, or paste them into the message box. Laima reads PDFs, PNG, JPG or WebP images, TXT or Markdown files, CSV, XLSX, XLS or DOCX documents. Tell Laima what you want to do with the file, such as import catalog items from a PDF, check a materials list or prepare a delivery draft. Use clear photos with readable labels.

Check Attach files in the chat for the current file-count and size limits. You can cancel an upload while it is in progress. If Laima cannot read a large file, split it into smaller files. To import a supplier catalog, use Import catalog to match columns and review the items.

Return to your work

Conversations and original attachments stay available in your private chat history. Open Previous chats to search your chats by title and return to one, Load earlier messages to read older messages, or select an attachment to download it. New chat starts a fresh conversation; you can still reopen the earlier one, or delete it from the list together with its messages and files. Deleting a chat leaves saved inventory and order requests in place.

Choose Edit under your last question to copy it into the message box, change it and send it again. The earlier question and reply remain in the chat; files already attached stay in the conversation.

Delivery and order drafts have private review links with an expiry date. You can reopen a draft until that date, but edits made on the review page stay on that page only: reopening the link starts again from what Laima read. If a link has expired, check existing inventory and orders before asking Laima to prepare it again.

If a request stops

• Stop: ends a reply that is still being written. The reply stays in the chat and can be continued later.
• Continue this reply: use this button when a long answer or check pauses or was stopped. Completed work is saved so the reply can continue.
• Chat is busy: wait for the time shown and try again. Your message and attachments remain available.
• A project is no longer available: choose accessible stock before continuing the conversation.
• AI access or credit is missing: ask an admin to check your AI access in Team settings and the balance under AI credits. Once credit is available, continue the paused reply.

Older answers describe the records checked at that time. Ask Laima to recheck before acting on a saved answer. Chat uses the records your account is allowed to access, and saving a draft follows the app's normal permissions.

• Cannot edit an inventory entry. Once any of an entry's stock is used, its item, quantities, price and dates are locked. Its location, tags and notes can still be changed.
• A price or threshold cannot be changed. A saved price, a saved item's threshold, “Can be ordered” and “Can be used after expiry” are changed by a lab manager or admin. A stock entry's price is locked for everyone after any of its stock is used. Anyone enters these values when an item or stock is first added, and a delivered price when an unused order is received.
• Print stickers is missing. Stickers appear only after items are received. Open the Orders view and choose Receive in the item's row.
• A sticker says it has been already consumed. No unit of that stock record with that expiry date is left. A sticker is not spent by one scan: it works again and again while its batch has units, so there is no need to reprint it.
• Project is locked in the scanner. If an inventory entry is already assigned to a project, the scanner keeps it fixed. Update the entry (if not consumed) or receive new stock under a different project.
• Expired item can’t be used. If it may still be used, a lab manager or admin can turn on “Can be used after expiry” on the catalog item; then use it again.
• Quantities look off. Packages is the number of packages, and Quantity in package the units in each, so together they give the total. Confirm both fields and the Package field.
• Import row is invalid. Use the preview to fix errors, then re-upload. Invalid rows never create items until corrected.