Laboratory Inventory Management Guide

Set up and manage laboratory inventory, reagents, locations, projects, and spending with LAIMA.

Jump to: Getting started · Freezer inventory · Core concepts · Operations · Reports · Sticker types · Team settings · Best practices · FAQ

Getting Started

10 minutes

Follow this order for clean reporting and a smooth inventory workflow.

  1. Create a project. Projects group consumption, expenses, and expiring items by study or grant.
  2. Add locations. Map freezers, shelves, and rooms to make inventory findable.
  3. Build the catalog. Add items with units, preferred distributors, and warning thresholds.
  4. Receive inventory. Add stock with quantities, lot numbers, locations, and expiration dates.
  5. Consume stock. Use Consume → Scan for labeled stock or Consume → Manually to select a catalog product without a sticker.

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.

  1. Map the storage layout. Create a location named Freezer A, add Shelf 2 beneath it, and add Box 3 beneath the shelf. Match the names to the labels your team uses on the physical freezer, shelves, and boxes.
  2. 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.
  3. Find stock before opening the freezer. Filter inventory by Freezer A to include its shelves and boxes. A location sticker can also open inventory filtered to that storage area when scanned on mobile. See location filters and stickers.
  4. 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 Consume → Manually, then review the allocation before confirming. Follow the consuming inventory guide.

Core Concepts

Items
Your catalog of products, reagents, and supplies. Capture default unit, catalog number, pricing, and tags once.
Inventory
Actual stock with quantities, expiration dates, lot numbers, and locations. Consume it by scanning a sticker or selecting stock manually.
Locations
Storage map for your team. Keep location names consistent so stickers are easy to scan.
Projects
Track consumption, expenses, and expiring items per project or grant.
Tags
Use tags for quick filtering and to highlight special handling or storage requirements.

Operations

Consume
Scan an inventory sticker or select a catalog product manually. Project selection keeps costs aligned, while location stickers open location-filtered inventory on mobile.
Stickers
Print labels for inventory and locations to reduce search time and prevent mixups.
Distributors
Track suppliers so you can analyze spend and keep purchasing consistent.
Packages and units
Use Warehouse → Packages to define unit names, package sizes, and conversion factors that keep quantities accurate.
Audit Trail
Every change is logged for traceability and compliance reporting.

Sticker Types

Labels

Choose the right sticker format for your containers and workflow.

QR (Large)
  • Better readability from a distance
  • Includes LAIMA logo for quick visual ID
  • Good for shelves, bins, and larger containers
Datamatrix (Small)
  • Compact, fits on small vials and tubes
  • Faster to print when labeling in bulk
  • Ideal for high-density storage
Location scan flow
  1. Open Consume → Scan on your phone.
  2. Scan the location sticker.
  3. Inventory opens filtered to that location.

Reports and Insights

Reports
Shared report filters

Set date range, projects, items, tags, distributors, locations, and users once, then switch report types without losing context.

Spend control

Track cost overview, spend by project/distributor/item, consumption by user, and price variance to control budgets.

Waste and risk

Spot expiring value at risk, expired write-offs, dead stock, and in-transit value before they turn into losses.

Inventory efficiency

Monitor stock value by project/location, low stock high cost, usage anomalies, and turnover rates.

Export-ready

Export XLSX reports to share with finance teams, auditors, and grant stakeholders.

Team and Settings

Settings
Members and roles
Invite teammates, assign roles, and keep ownership clear.
Currency and pricing
Set the team currency once so item pricing and expenses stay aligned.
Activity log
Enable the activity log to capture a full audit trail of changes.

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.

FAQ

Items are your catalog entries. Inventory is the actual stock you receive, store, and consume.

If the item allows it, the Consume flow requires confirmation and a reason before expired stock is used.

Tags improve filtering and grouping. Notes surface on inventory so special handling is visible at scan time.

Edit the inventory record to update location, quantities, or expiration dates. Updates are tracked in the audit trail.