Tom Ruginis, founder of Happi Labs, shared invaluable insights during Lab Manager’s recent Lab Ops summit, offering practical strategies to safeguard lab operations against supply chain and inventory disruptions. This article, adapted from that session, shares some of its key takeaways. You can watch the webinar on demand, for free, at summit.labmanager.com/2025-lab-ops/.

Lab managers should always be prepared for supply chain disruptions. The COVID-19 pandemic is a fitting example: labs were scrambling to secure essentials like PPE and reagents while those with more robust systems in place weathered the storm with less chaos. Ruginis shared a few strategies—including leveraging procurement platforms, harnessing artificial intelligence (AI), and diversifying supply chains—that can help you keep your lab running smoothly in the midst of supply chain disruptions.

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Procurement platforms: Building a foundation for efficiency

Ruginis recommends the strategic use of procurement platforms—tools that will go far in streamlining operations. Understanding their value starts with recognizing the distinct flavors they come in.  

Ruginis outlined three main types of procurement platforms, each tailored to different stakeholders:

• For scientists: Platforms like Happi Labs (Ruginis’s own venture), Quartzy, Lab Spend, Zageno, and Lab Fellows offer features such as inventory tracking, price comparisons, hands-on support, and access to marketplaces or “punchouts.” To clarify, a marketplace is an online hub where users can browse and purchase from multiple vendors, while a punchout lets buyers connect directly to a supplier’s catalog from within the platform—both simplifying the shopping experience. These tools empower scientists to make informed, efficient purchasing decisions.  
• For finance: Platforms like ProcureDesk, Procurify, Point Purchasing, and Prendio cater to an organization’s finance departments. These systems emphasize controls and accountability with features like approval workflows, integrations with accounting software, and cost-coding options while offering some marketplace or punchout capabilities that overlap with scientists’ needs. Finance teams crave visibility and purchasing decisions driven by chain of command.  
• For enterprise: Finally, Ruginis describes enterprise-level procurement platforms. These platforms would include Coupa, ZIP, Oracle NetSuite, and SAP Ariba, among others. These platforms mirror many finance-focused features but lean heavily on custom, paid punchouts. They’re powerful, but Ruginis emphasized that they’re often overkill for small- to medium-sized labs. Prohibitive costs aside, their sheer complexity can obstruct processes. Ruginis recommends avoiding enterprise solutions to the small- and medium-sized labs that he serves.

Ruginis also notes that some particularly lean organizations opt for general use cloud tools—such as Google Sheets, Monday.com, or Notion—to homebrew their own procurement platforms. While cost effective and easy to manage, these self-made procurement solutions usually are not intuitive or scalable, and they will hold the lab back as it grows.

Ultimately, it is helpful to view software as an investment, so proper time and care should be taken to ensure that the chosen software will yield a positive ROI in the form of smooth inventory management. Stakeholders should prioritize their “needs” and “wants” from the software so everyone knows where and how they can compromise on a solution.

Taking advantage of AI

During the webinar, Ruginis demonstrated some ways that lab managers can use AI chatbots like ChatGPT to aid their procurement work, such as in research and price comparisons. Opening an instance of ChatGPT that can browse the web, Ruginis asked it to compare prices for the same pre-owned benchtop rocker across different websites. It queried Bing, collected some of the top links, and extracted the relevant data, formatting it into a table. Ruginis notes that AI can also be used to easily retrieve reference information like chemical safety data sheets.

But data retrieval alone would undersell the capabilities of chatbots. Unlike search engines or data indexes, generative AI (genAI) is interactive. Effectively, this means you can use a chatbot to help you develop your negotiation tactics, quickly draft emails to your team, or even use it as an eternally patient sounding board for new ideas.

Of course—like with all things AI—there must be a human in the loop to confirm the output. Don’t blindly trust what a chatbot says (despite how confident it may sound), especially for critical information like that found on safety data sheets.

Diversifying the supply chain

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” Ruginis says. A diversified supply chain will hedge your lab against supplier issues that can delay your projects. What does supply chain diversification look like in practice?

First, prioritize value-based purchasing. Ruginis emphasized that strong supplier relationships benefit from shared values—whether it’s sustainability (a big deal for labs aiming to cut waste and energy use), diversity and inclusion (a priority for many scientists), or transparency (a cornerstone of scientific integrity). A supplier aligned with your lab’s ethos will “work harder for you,” he said, stepping up during disruptions when you need them most.

Next, it’s important to always have a Plan B. Ruginis recommended maintaining a list of backup suppliers—regional ones, in particular. Big national names might dominate the market, but smaller, local players often offer better service and flexibility. “I assure you, they will bend for you,” he noted, highlighting their willingness to go the extra mile. Plus, proximity means faster access—sometimes you can even pick up supplies yourself, bypassing shipping delays altogether.  

Finally, don’t overlook the human element: befriend your UPS and FedEx drivers. Parcel delivery is tough work, and a little kindness—snacks, a thank-you note—goes a long way. Ruginis pointed out that appreciated drivers are more likely to handle packages with care or wait for a signature, turning a transactional exchange into a mutually beneficial bond. It’s a small gesture with outsized impact.  

Conclusion: Preparation pays off

Tom Ruginis’s webinar distilled years of experience into three clear takeaways for lab managers: AI can be a powerful ally, alternative suppliers are a must-know resource, and procurement should never slow you down. Together, these strategies form a blueprint for resilience, ensuring labs can adapt to challenges—be it a pandemic squeezing supply chains or a routine shipping snag.

By investing in the right tools, embracing technology, and building a network of reliable partners, labs can transform potential disruptions into minor bumps in the road. As Ruginis’s insights make clear, the key to thriving in an unpredictable world isn’t luck—it’s preparation. So, take the time to evaluate your systems, explore your options, and strengthen your supply chain.

This content includes text that has been generated with the assistance of AI. Lab Manager’s AI policy can be found here.