With new technical solutions, procurement is now at the forefront of innovation in the lab. At 2025’s Lab of the Future USA Congress, ZAGENO’s CEO and co-founder, Florian Wegener, shared a perspective that resonated with many in the audience: if we want to accelerate scientific discovery, we need to start by reimagining how lab supplies and scientific equipment are procured and managed.
Tales from the bench: The struggles of lab supply management
Florian opened by sharing a series of real, everyday frustrations heard from scientists, lab managers, and procurement teams. These aren’t fleeting issues; they translate to daily pain points that slow down science.
“I spend half my day chasing down backorders and tracking shipments.”
Time-consuming procurement processes: Juggling myriad vendors and orders can be overwhelming and drains precious time.
“I just found five boxes of expired reagents in storage, but the scientists keep ordering more.”
Inventory management struggles: Balancing stock levels to prevent shortages or excess inventory is a constant challenge.
“The PI needs a restricted chemical ASAP, but I can’t approve it without the right paperwork.”
Compliance complications: Ensuring that all purchases meet regulatory standards and are easily traceable adds complexity.
“I get flooded with random purchase requests, but no one follows the proper approval process.”
Disjointed approval workflows: Disconnected processes can lead to delays and miscommunication among teams.
“We blew through half the budget already, but I have no idea where the money actually went.”
Lack of spend transparency: Limited visibility into where money is being spent makes managing to budget difficult.
These challenges often stem from fragmented systems and manual processes in managing lab supplies. In an era when research teams are under pressure to move faster and innovate at scale, outdated procurement processes just don’t cut it.
How ZAGENO supports the Lab of the Future: A platform built for modern R&D needs
Florian outlined how ZAGENO is transforming the R&D supply chain with an AI-driven digital platform built specifically for life sciences, addressing long-standing challenges like supplier fragmentation, lack of price transparency, inefficient sourcing, and untracked impact.
ZAGENO is designed to streamline lab supply procurement by helping organizations simplify complex workflows, reduce inefficiencies, and gain greater control over lab supply chains.
Whether you're sourcing routine lab supplies or niche scientific equipment, ZAGENO helps you:
- Find what you need, fast. Search and order from a vast, global supplier network through one centralized platform.
- Automate what slows you down. Free your team from the repetitive, manual steps that bog down procurement, from approvals to tracking and invoicing.
- Stay in control. Get visibility into what’s being ordered, who’s ordering it, and how it aligns with budget and compliance goals.
Behind the scenes, ZAGENO brings together the tools, data, and integrations that unify fragmented procurement processes without forcing labs to change how they already work. From request to receipt, everything flows through a streamlined, connected system that supports smarter decisions and faster science.
Cross-functional value: Supporting the entire R&D ecosystem
ZAGENO isn’t just a tool for procurement, it’s a platform designed to create value across every team involved in the R&D process.
For R&D scientists:
- Quick search and easy ordering of 40M+ SKUs or add non-catalog items within minutes.
- Higher supply chain resilience through access to a broad and diverse supplier network.
- Greater focus on research with fewer administrative hurdles and procurement bottlenecks.
For lab operations:
- Full automation of end-to-end order processing from sourcing to invoicing.
- Faster fulfillment with real-time ship date visibility and automated order tracking.
For procurement teams:
- Clear spend control and compliance through real-time dashboards and reporting tools.
- Improved supplier relationships via performance tracking, strategic sourcing, and volume consolidation.
AI-powered procurement: Smarter decisions, faster science
As labs become more complex and data-driven, ZAGENO is expanding its AI capabilities to help research teams make faster, more informed decisions about lab supplies and procurement. We're excited to support the Lab of the Future with current and upcoming AI-powered features, including experiment planning workflows, product recommendations, demand forecasting, category expansion, and enhanced supply chain collaboration and automation.
Lab supply procurement, reimagined
Lab supplies may not be the flashiest part of R&D, but they’re the fuel that keeps experiments running. By rethinking how they're sourced, tracked, and managed, ZAGENO is helping to reshape what digital procurement looks like.
Ready to enhance your lab's efficiency and focus more on research? Discover how ZAGENO's platform can transform your procurement processes.
Embrace a future where managing lab supplies is seamless, efficient, and aligned with the demands of modern research.
