Industry · Lab supply
ERP & e-commerce for lab supply
Research institutes order with special prices, distributors need clean master-data mapping, dangerous goods have their own shipping rules — standard ERP isn't enough.
Pain Points
What companies in this industry struggle with.
- Batch tracking per article is mandatory — standard ERPs don't solve it cleanly, manual lists are reality.
- Dangerous-goods shipping has its own rules — packaging, labelling, country-specific shipping restrictions.
- Research institutes have long-term special prices and framework contracts — looking these up in every order is Excel torture.
- Distributors deliver with different master-data formats — a central mapping logic is typically missing.
Tech Stack
Our typical tech stack.
weclapp OR Odoo
Backbone with batch tracking, condition chains, multi-warehouse logic
Custom batch module
Batch is captured at goods receipt, married to the order, traceable in audit
Dangerous-goods shipping logic
Automatic packaging guidelines, ADR compliance, labelling
Distributor mapping
Master-data import from distributor formats into the ERP standard schema
Outcomes
What it gets you in the end.
- 01 Batch data per order automatically documented — audit-proof, without manual lists.
- 02 Dangerous-goods shipping with correct packaging and labelling — error-free integrated into the standard workflow.
- 03 Research special prices and framework contracts automatically in the order — no manual lookup maintenance.
- 04 Distributor master data in a central mapping — supplier switch without data chaos.
Deep dive
Industry in detail.
What makes lab-supply IT special?
Lab supply is an industry where standard ERP logic quickly hits limits. Three peculiarities drive this: First, batch tracking — every article must be traceable back to goods receipt, every order must have a unique batch assignment. In a recall or audit, it must be clear within hours which customers received which batch.
Second, dangerous-goods logic — acids, solvents, biological materials have their own shipping rules (ADR, UN classification, specialist forwarders). A wrongly-packed shipment isn’t just annoying, it’s a liability issue.
Third, research conditions — universities, research institutes, pharma companies often have framework contracts with special prices that apply for years. Looking these up manually in every order is Excel torture.
Our typical setup
We build lab-supply companies an ERP base on weclapp or Odoo — depending on the complexity of the industry logic — and add three Mate iT custom modules:
- Batch tracking module: captures the batch on goods receipt, marries it to the order, documents the complete supply chain for audit purposes.
- Dangerous-goods workflow: checks ADR compliance automatically on shipping, generates correct labelling, blocks wrong packaging.
- Distributor mapping: imports master data from different distributor formats into a unified ERP schema — supplier switch without data chaos.
Research conditions are maintained as framework contracts in the ERP — every order automatically pulls the correct special price, contract terms and quota limits are checked.
When this fits
- You’re a lab-supply company with 10–100 employees.
- Batch tracking is mandatory — today it runs via manual lists or in Excel.
- You ship dangerous goods, your own or multiple carriers are in use.
- You have long-term research customers with special prices or framework contracts.
If that fits — write to us.
FAQ
FAQs from this industry.
Which ERP is best suited for a lab-supply company? +
It depends on how special your industry logic is. weclapp fits for classic lab-supply setups with standard batch tracking and DACH focus. Odoo fits when you have very specific workflows (own batch logic, own dangerous-goods rules, own distributor mapping). We typically build custom modules for batch and dangerous goods — regardless of which platform is the base.
How does batch tracking work? +
On goods receipt, the batch is captured (date, supplier, batch number, expiry date). On picking, the batch is married to the order — the order then has a unique batch assignment. In an audit or recall, we can identify all affected orders and customers via batch number in seconds. This isn't 'nice to have' — it's mandatory in lab supply.
How is dangerous-goods shipping handled? +
Articles are flagged in the ERP with dangerous-goods class (UN number, ADR class, packaging guideline). On shipping, the system automatically checks whether the shipping configuration matches the dangerous-goods class — wrong packaging is blocked. Labelling is generated automatically. We typically work with DHL Express or specialist forwarders for dangerous goods.
How long does the rollout with custom modules take? +
For a mid-market lab-supply company with standard batch logic, we plan 14–20 weeks from kick-off to production go-live. With additionally complex dangerous-goods logic or multiple distributors with their own master-data formats, more like 18–26 weeks. Custom modules for batch and dangerous goods are Mate iT in-house developments — we build them as modules on the platform base (weclapp/Odoo).