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Laboratory Supplies

Laboratory Supplies


Laboratory Supplies

The laboratory supply industry is worth several billion pounds per year and has many thousands of suppliers, distributors and manufacturers. Dating back to early scientific times  there have been manufacturers of glassware, microscopes and all manner of mechanical devices. Laboratory supply has however become more and more sophisticated as technology has advanced and new methods and procedures have been discovered and invented. There has been a sea of change  throughout the 20th century with major advances in optics, biosensors, biochemistry, DNA manipulation,informatics, robotics, micro-processing, fluidics, enzyme mediated reactions and much more.

Laboratory suppliers have had to change radically in their behaviour, knowledge base and marketing. Before the Internet and mobile phones or fax,the Telex and landlines were a common form of communication, prior to that letters!  These days, communication and knowledge resources are instant and extensive. This means that link betwen, supplier, distributor and scientist is faster and also requires a greater depth of knowledge as the disciplines have become more specific and the scientific depth more intense. 

Laboratory supplies now need to be on the cutting edge of commerce and marketing to achieve any form of success. The ability to compete is lower for manufacturers due to the lower barriers of entry to marketing and contact with prospective partners. The ability to sell to customers however is often harder due to the power of multi-nationals and single sourcing. Purchasing power can often make a significant difference in economically hard times and the ability to supply a broad spectrum of popular brands can often result in purchase orders. This is akin the supermarket philosophy in the consumer industry.

Niche lab suppliers do however have a very important role to play and this is due the in depth knowledge they bring to a scientist, who requires advice from specialists to support their particular requirements.

The lab supply industry and scientists are also now supplied themeselves a plethora of organisations and official bodies who govern or advise on almost any particular science or interest.

In pathology and hpsitals labs alone there are a huge amount of skills and sciences, all with their won laboratory supply practises and companies:

Toxicology
Immunology/Serology
Immunohaematology
Histopathology
Cytopathology
Electron microscopy
Genetics
Cytogenetics
Microbiology 
Parasitology 
Virology
Hematology
Coagulation
Clinical Biochemistry

Now move into scientists specialities and the following is another list, all with their own special requirements and suppliers:

Agricultural laboratory supplies
Archaeologists laboratory supplies
Astronomers laboratory supplies
Astrophysicists laboratory supplies
Biologists laboratory supplies
Astrobiologists laboratory supplies
Biophysicists laboratory supplies
Biotechnologists laboratory supplies
Botanists laboratory supplies
Ecologists laboratory supplies
Entomologists laboratory supplies
Evolutionary biologists laboratory supplies
Geneticists laboratory supplies
Herpetologists laboratory supplies
Immunologists laboratory supplies
Ichthyologists laboratory supplies
Lepidopterists laboratory supplies
Marine biologists laboratory supplies
Mycologists laboratory supplies
Neuroscientists laboratory supplies
Ornithologists laboratory supplies
Paleontologists laboratory supplies
Pathologists laboratory supplies
Pharmacologists laboratory supplies
Physiologists laboratory supplies
Zoologists laboratory supplies

Quite simply in the laboratory supply and suppliers field, there is ahuge amount expertise and variation in products and knowledge.
Please see a second article on lab supplies.