Lab equipment for universities … how to purchase the best

Today, various types of laboratory equipment for universities are being used in scientific research procedures in universities and research centers worldwide. The use of high quality laboratory equipment would guarantee accurate and reliable results in research, especially utilization of high equality lab equipment in universities would result in better educational outcomes. Therefore, well-equipped laboratories are of great necessity for universities as well as research centers.

We offer a wide range of laboratory equipment for universities. After reading this post you can better choose the equipment which is needed in your university or research center.

Questions to Start with

By considering a few simple points while purchasing lab equipment for universities or research centers, you can make sure that the purchased equipment meets the needs of your institute and also to increase the credibility of your laboratory procedures. Here are some questions to ask in order to have the best possible purchase of lab instruments:

• Is this lab equipment from a quality brand?
• Is this lab equipment sourced and distributed by a secure laboratory equipment dealer?
• Is this lab equipment produced in a professional manufacturing company?
• Does this equipment support the specific lab application that it is being purchased for?
• Does this lab equipment minimize human errors by embedding technical improvements?
• Does this equipment meet all safety standard of our university/research center, as well as national, regional and international standards for laboratory instruments?

Also, one must bear in mind that production and distribution of laboratory equipment is a complex and vast industry, which is supposed to meet different needs of universities and research centers in diverse areas such as biotechnology, metallurgy, microbiology, biopharma, agriculture engineering, biomedicine, and so on. Thus, lab equipment for universities shall meet both the general requirements of research sector, as well as specific requirements of respective scientific branch for which they are used.

8 Major Criteria for choosing lab equipment for universities

All in all, there are eight general criteria to consider when buying new lab equipment for universities:

1. Needs: You must know what your exact needs are, and if there is a specific brand or model that meet those needs, and what features are essential for your lab research, based on each research field.
2. Price: this includes not only the purchase price, but also maintenance and repair costs of an equipment during its lifetime. When examining the price of a lab equipment, you should also consider the price of consumable materials needed for that equipment on both monthly and annual base. Sometimes an apparently cheaper equipment will cost you more, when considering its consumables, so it is wise to calculate those costs in your final analysis.
3. Post-Purchase services: This includes initial warranty and guarantee terms, as well as other contractual services for repair, re-ordering, service, and even returning of a purchase.
4. Availability: This includes availability of the original parts and consumables, with regard to national and regional regularities of refurbishing and refabricating of that special equipment.
5. Software and Hardware support: This includes techno-mechanical support for costly and mid-cost equipment in terms of repair and maintenance, as well as updates and guidelines and know-how transfer for the maintenance of a whole laboratory system. Buying a new lab equipment in a university or research center means that you need to train your lab team for using it. So it is important to consider if the vendor provides you with efficient instruction manuals, or even one or two pilot training sessions.
6. Tailored service: The purchased lab equipment must provide tailored solutions for specific needs and requirements of different end-users (e.g. universities, research centers, clinical usage, etc.)
7. Environmental considerations: According to one’s social responsibility, one must seek to purchase lab equipment from a provider who uses eco-friendly and/or green material which have been produced with a minimum CO2 emission level, and will ideally will minimize CO2 emission level in the respective institution in which they are used.
8. Other circumstances: Considering geographical, local, national and other circumstances in which the lab equipment is used, is a delicate but significant criteria. For example, as the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation continues to evolve, the safety and well being of those working with lab equipment in universities and research centers becomes a top priority. Thus, closely monitoring the safety of lab procedures regarding the spread of coronavirus becomes a must as the situation develops. Never before has the world needs science so desperately, thus, wellbeing and safety of researchers and institutions which work on solving this crisis are top priorities to pay attention to. Here you can find more about challenges caused by Covid-19 for laboratory equipment industry. Also, considering different socio-geographical conditions of the end-users (e.g. sanctions, financial crises, epidemic/pandemic crises, etc.) will improve the efficiency of our lab equipment purchase.

Some specifications such as ability to cope with extra humid or tropical/anarchical weather, melting and freezing points, resilience in high or low pressure, are also important to take into consideration when purchasing lab instruments for universities or research centers exposed to uncommon weather or based in severe climates.

Due diligence regarding the above criteria will help you in determining what makes a lab equipment the perfect purchase for a specific university/research center.

Pre/Post-Purchase Extra Measures

There are also some extra measures to take before and after buying the lab instruments for your university. For example, you may want to ask the provider – be it the manufacturer or the third party – to give a demonstration of the equipment, meaning a demo of the work and usage of the equipment. This demonstration allows you to find out if there are any special procedures needed to work with the equipment, and whether working with one specific equipment is easier or harder compared to similar ones.
Also, add-ons such as service contracts or post-contractual services give you a chance to maximize the efficiency of your purchased equipment and to correct your maintenance and usage protocols. When comparing service contracts, you should consider the warranty period and cost of such services before you sign the contract.

Reading review of past buyers or professional critiques in lab magazines can also give you some hints about the equipment you are planning to purchase.

Also, it is useful to know if the equipment you are going to purchase meet the regulatory standards in national and global level. Some of the well-known standards for lab equipment include ISO and CE, while some manufacturers or vendors also try to gain extra certifications for safe transportation and/or sanction-proof financial channels.