Getting Started
Administrators and lab managers can open Lab setup from Help or Settings. It walks through lab basics, storage, projects, catalog, starting stock and team invitations, saving each step as you go. See the Lab setup guide.
- Add locations. Map freezers, shelves, and rooms to make inventory findable.
- Create a project. Every use of stock is charged to a project. Use one general lab project if you do not split costs by study or grant.
- Build the catalog. Add items with package sizes, preferred distributors, and warning thresholds.
- Receive inventory. Add stock with quantities, lot numbers, locations, and expiration dates.
- Use stock. Choose Use stock → Scan to use for labeled stock or Use stock → Use manually to select a catalog product without a sticker.
Ask Laima: Your AI Assistant
Ask a question in your own words, attach a materials list, or turn a delivery note into a draft. Laima checks your lab's records and gives you links to review the details and take the next step.
- Choose Ask Laima at the top of an app page, type in the dashboard box, or press Cmd+K on Mac or Ctrl+K elsewhere.
- Pick a starting point, which sends its question right away, or type your own. Include the item, project and dates when they matter.
- Use the stock selector in the message box, labelled Whole lab, Shared stock or the current project's name. You can search projects by name.
- Read the answer, open its Supporting records, or ask a follow-up such as “Show the rest” or “Use next month's dates.” Use Copy or Helpful? under a reply to copy it or rate it.
- On a wide screen, choose Keep beside the page in the chat header to keep the chat open as a column while you work.
| I want to… | Try asking |
|---|---|
| Check stock and expiry | “Which items are running low or expire in the next four weeks?” |
| Find the right box | “Where are our pipette tips, and which lot should we use first?” |
| Check materials for an experiment | “Do we have everything for this protocol on Friday?” Attach the list, then choose Order missing items. |
| Receive a delivery | “Prepare inventory drafts from this delivery note.” Attach the file or a photo. |
| Import a catalog | “Import this catalog spreadsheet.” Attach the XLSX, XLS or CSV file, then review it before importing. |
| Prepare an order | “What should we order?” Then save a request for each distributor and choose Email to distributor. |
| Explore spending and usage | “Which project used the most supplies this month? Give me an Excel report.” |
| Estimate how long stock will last | “How long will our gloves last, based on the last 60 days of use?” |
| Understand a stock change | “Why did our ethanol stock drop last week?” |
| Catch up on the lab | “Give me a weekly lab briefing.” |
| Get help with imports | “Which catalog imports need attention? Show me the rows to fix.” |
| Tidy the catalog | “Check our catalog for possible duplicates and package-size problems.” |
| Learn how to use Laima | “How do I print stickers?” or “How do I receive an order?” Laima can find the relevant help guide. |
You review stock before saving. Laima can prepare a delivery or an order confirmation. Check the draft, then choose Receive for a delivery or Add to in transit for an order confirmation. Stock and materials checks, reports and low-stock suggestions do not change inventory. If you explicitly ask Laima to save an order request or change a draft request's quantities or note, it saves that request; sending it and adding it to in transit happen on the request page.
Ask Laima requires AI access and available team credit. Continue later from Previous chats. Choose Stop to end a reply early. If a reply pauses or was stopped, choose Continue this reply to pick up the saved work. See files, saved chats and troubleshooting for more help.
How to Organize Lab Freezer Inventory
Use Laima's locations and inventory records to find reagents in a freezer and keep their quantities and expiration dates up to date.
- Map the storage layout. Create a location named Freezer A and add its shelves and boxes inside it, such as Shelf 2 and Box 3. Locations have two levels, so a box goes directly inside the freezer, not inside a shelf. Match the names to the labels your team uses on the physical freezer, shelves, and boxes.
- Receive reagents into the right box. Choose the catalog item, record its quantity, lot number, and expiration dates when applicable, and select Box 3 as its location. Follow the receiving inventory guide.
- Find stock before opening the freezer. Filter inventory by Freezer A; the filter also covers the shelves and boxes inside it. To check without a screen, tape a contents list to the door: choose Contents next to Freezer A in Warehouse → Locations. See location filters and stickers.
- Keep the record current. Update the inventory location when you move stock. When using a reagent, scan its inventory sticker or select the catalog product through Use stock → Use manually, then review the allocation before confirming. Follow the consuming inventory guide.
Core Concepts
Operations
Sticker Types
Choose the code and paper in the Print stickers dialog. Each device remembers them for next time.
- Shows the Laima name in the middle, so people recognize Laima stickers
- Good for shelves, bins, and larger containers
- The default: a dense code that stays readable on small vials and tubes
- Ideal for high-density storage
Paper. A 39 mm label printer (one sticker per label), plain A4 (35 stickers to cut), plain US Letter (30 to cut) or Avery 22806 sheets (12 per sheet). On a sheet, start at any label to reuse a partly used one.
- Open Warehouse → Inventory and filter by the location; its shelves are included.
- Or choose Contents next to it in Warehouse → Locations for a printable list.
- Use stock → Scan to use reads inventory stickers only; it asks for the item's sticker when it sees a location sticker.
Reports and Insights
Set date range, projects, items, tags, distributors, locations, and users once, then switch report types without losing context. Each report uses only its supported filters; current-stock reports ignore the purchase-date range.
Track cost overview, spend by project/distributor/item, consumption by user, and price variance to control budgets.
Spot expiring value at risk, expired write-offs, dead stock, and in-transit value before they turn into losses.
Monitor stock value by project/location, low stock high cost, usage anomalies, and turnover rates.
Export XLSX reports to share with finance teams, auditors, and grant stakeholders.
Team and Settings
AI Access and Credits
Ask Laima, AI spreadsheet column suggestions and Lab setup's AI drafts use your team's shared credit. An admin controls each person's AI access in Team settings. Open AI credits from Settings or your account menu to see the balance and your usage; admins can see team usage and add credit.
Credit is in USD, separately from your lab's inventory currency. An admin chooses an amount under Add credit, then Continue to payment. The payment excluding tax becomes credit once payment is confirmed. Usage is charged when its cost is confirmed, so requests already running can take the balance below zero.
If a reply pauses for credit, an admin can top up, then you can choose Continue this reply. Manual inventory work, reports, manual import mapping and scheduled weekly briefing emails do not use AI credit.
Best Practices
- Standardize item names and catalog numbers for faster search.
- Use tags to flag hazards, storage conditions, or special handling.
- Record lot numbers and expiration dates to reduce waste.
- Review expiring value weekly to prioritize usage.
- Keep locations tidy and match stickers to physical labels.