Q:Keeping track of all the materials and equipment in my lab is becoming chaotic. Is there an easy way to streamline inventory and asset management?
Managing materials and equipment in a busy laboratory can become overwhelming. With multiple users, a wide range of chemicals, consumables, and equipment, it is extremely challenging to accurately track it all. Research can come to a halt when supplies and reagents run out midway through experiments, when equipment is overbooked, or when routine maintenance or calibration takes essential equipment offline. Inefficient materials and equipment management can also create additional costs for the lab. For example, ordering additional reagents that may already be in stock, or having to repeat an experiment because of expired reagents or overbooked equipment can all add up to significant costs. Manually tracking all of these items also costs lab personnel valuable time and can be prone to error.
A:BrightLab is an integrated software solution that enables users to manage materials, equipment, and order requests in a single platform.
BrightLab includes customizable modules for inventory, requests, and equipment management, and is available as a cloud-based version and mobile app. The inventory module enables users to upload lists of materials from multiple suppliers or procurement platforms, which can be automatically deducted upon experiment completion. Materials can be assigned specific locations in the lab and unique barcode labels—for efficient storage, scanning, and retrieval—and the lab catalog is easy to search, filter, and sort so you can find the materials you need for every experiment. Alerts notify users when supplies are running low or are about to expire, and inventory can be automatically updated while receiving ordered materials.
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The equipment module enables users to upload all instruments in the lab, and create a shared calendar for scheduling to ensure equipment is never overbooked. Scheduling maintenance and calibration times in the module allows users to work around planned downtime, and ensures equipment is not offline for critical analyses.
