LabArchives Inventory allows you to standardize and customize vendor information to help streamline ordering and supplier tracking. Vendor records can include useful details such as website links, contact information, and notes about ordering or shipping.
Vendors can be added or updated either manually through the Lab Management menu or automatically when inventory items are imported using the Import Template.
Lab Members are able to create new vendors when manually adding items to a lab’s inventory. However, only users with the Lab Manager role can add vendors through the Lab Management settings or by using the Import Template. For more information about permissions, see Understanding Inventory Roles and Permissions.
To manage your list of vendors, click the Gear icon in the top left corner to open the Lab Management Menu, then select Vendors.
Adding or Editing a Vendor
To add a new vendor, open the Vendors page and click Add New Vendor in the top right corner.
When creating or editing a vendor, you can enter the following information:
The Name field is required. Vendor names can contain up to 255 characters and may include special characters.
The Website field can be used to add a link to the vendor’s website or product catalog.
Under Contact Information, you can include details such as the vendor contact’s name, email address, phone number, or mailing address.
The Notes field can be used to record additional details such as negotiated discounts, ordering recommendations, shipping information, or any other relevant notes.
Enter the vendor information and click Add Vendor to save the record of a new vendor.
To modify an existing vendor, click the pencil icon next to the vendor name. To remove a vendor, click the trash can icon.
Adding Vendors Through the Import Template
Vendors can also be created when importing inventory items using the Inventory Import Template.
If the vendor name entered in the Vendor column does not already exist in the vendor list, LabArchives will automatically create a new vendor with that name.
If the vendor name matches an existing vendor, the imported items will be associated with the existing vendor record.
Vendor matching is not case-sensitive. For example, if a vendor named Lab Equipment Co already exists and an item is imported with the vendor name lab equipment co, the item will still be linked to the existing vendor record.
For more information about importing inventory items, see the Bulk Import of Items.