In modern research environments, operational speed is as important as scientific precision. When labs juggle separate systems for inventory, procurement, and supplier management, progress slows and costs rise.
What is lab asset management (and how is it evolving)?
Lab asset management ensures your lab supplies and equipment are available, calibrated, and compliant. But in today’s data-driven labs, that’s not enough.
Teams need to understand not just what they have, but how assets are performing, when they’ll need replenishment, and how usage ties to budget.
That’s why more labs are connecting asset management with procurement visibility, linking asset data to purchasing activity and vendor performance.
According to Grand View Research (2025), the global laboratory supplies category is projected to grow at a 7.5% CAGR through 2030, driven by automation, digital workflows, and the need for more resilient supply chains. Labs that connect asset and procurement data will manage that growth more efficiently and with greater control.
Read more: 5 Lab Asset Management Strategies for Efficient R&D Operations
The hidden cost of fragmented systems
When lab operations, procurement, and research run in separate silos, teams face challenges that compound over time:
- Wasted research hours. A ZAGENO study found that lab professionals spend an average of six hours per week tracking orders, shipments, or replacements across multiple supplier websites.
- Duplicate orders and missed rebates. Without shared visibility, teams reorder items they already have or miss rebate thresholds.
- Budget blind spots. Finance teams struggle to reconcile invoices and track experiment-level spend when procurement and asset data live in different systems.
- Inaccurate forecasting. Manual inventory updates mean no one knows what’s running low until it’s too late.
Read more: How to Identify Gaps in Your Lab’s Purchasing Workflow (Before They Cost You)
Why connecting asset management and procurement platforms matters
Integrating lab asset management and procurement creates a continuous feedback loop: every purchase, experiment, and asset usage informs the next decision.
Here’s what that looks like when powered by ZAGENO:
- Unified data flow. ZAGENO connects procurement activity with lab data systems like LIMS and ELNs, allowing automatic reordering and consistent inventory visibility.
- Real-time visibility. Finance, procurement, and lab ops gain full visibility into how supplies are used, where they are in transit, and which projects they support, all in one dashboard.
- Proven efficiency gains. According to McKinsey & Company, procurement organizations adopting AI and automation can become 25 to 40 percent more efficient, freeing staff from transactional tasks and focusing effort on strategy and innovation.
- Compliance made simple. Integrated systems create automated audit trails across every purchase order, invoice, and asset receipt, making it easier to meet regulatory and quality-control standards.
What is a LIMS System? LIMS vs ELN vs ZAGENO Explained
How ZAGENO complements lab asset management
ZAGENO isn’t an asset-tracking system, it’s the procurement platform that connects your existing tools into a single, intelligent workflow.
Through integrations with LIMS, ELNs, Coupa, NetSuite, and other enterprise systems, ZAGENO bridges the gap between asset visibility and purchasing control.
With ZAGENO, labs can:
- Search and compare over 40 million SKUs from 5,000 vendors.
- Route orders automatically to preferred partners to maximize rebates.
- Combine multiple vendor purchases into one PO, one invoice, and one payment.
- Monitor shipments and budgets in real time.
- Use predictive analytics to anticipate future supply needs.
By connecting the day-to-day process of buying supplies with the broader goal of building vendor relationships, ZAGENO gives labs the visibility they need to operate efficiently at scale.
Get the free eBook, Future-Proof Your Lab: 10 Tech Tips To Scale Your LabOps
Measurable results for R&D teams
- Faster research timelines. Integrating asset management and procurement reduces administrative lag, cutting experiment delays.
- Clearer spend control. Consolidated purchase data shows who’s buying what, when, and why, helping procurement leaders curb maverick spend.
- Easier collaboration. Scientists, operations, and finance share one view of orders and budgets, minimizing back-and-forth emails.
- Scalable operations. From startup labs to global pharma networks, ZAGENO adapts without adding workflow complexity.
See how biotechs and pharmas like yours are getting results with ZAGENO.
The future: AI-enabled procurement in the lab
AI is reshaping how labs plan, buy, and forecast. Gartner predicts that 70 % of large organizations will use AI-based supply-chain forecasting by 2027. In practice, that means:
- Predicting reagent or consumable needs before shortages occur.
- Recommending alternative products automatically when stock runs low.
- Suggesting optimal vendors based on performance and delivery data.
When procurement connects to LIMS and ELNs, your lab moves from reactive ordering to proactive research planning.
The connected lab advantage
Labs that connect lab asset management with procurement platforms gain a single source of truth for spending, inventory, and vendor activity.
ZAGENO helps labs build that connection, closing the loop between what you buy, how you use it, and how it fuels discovery.
See how ZAGENO can help
Simplify your lab’s purchasing, strengthen vendor relationships, and accelerate research timelines.
👉 Request a demo to see how ZAGENO connects lab asset management and procurement into one seamless workflow.
FAQ
Q1. What is lab asset management?
Lab asset management tracks and maintains laboratory instruments, supplies, and materials. When linked to procurement platforms, it offers full visibility into usage and spending.
Q2. How does lab asset management differ from lab procurement?
Asset management tracks what a lab owns and uses; procurement manages how those items are purchased and replenished. Connecting them eliminates silos and manual work.
Q3. How does ZAGENO integrate with LIMS and ELNs?
ZAGENO connects directly with LIMS and ELN systems, syncing procurement data with research workflows to create a unified view from experiment planning through fulfillment.
