Smart Lab Inventory & Management System

End-to-end n8n automation that syncs Airtable lab inventory, monitors expiry and maintenance, and pushes real-time alerts via Slack and email while supporting barcode-based sample tracking.

About the project

The Lab Inventory Manager project was built to reduce the manual burden of tracking samples, reagents, and equipment status in a busy research lab. By connecting Airtable, scheduled checks, and notification channels, the system proactively flags upcoming expiries, low stock, and due maintenance so scientists can focus on experiments instead of spreadsheets. The workflow also supports barcode-based sample location updates, keeping freezer and shelf maps accurate in real time.

Date:

Feb 9, 2025

Client:

BIOENG (NOVA)

Services:

Project Details

The automation runs on a daily 8 AM schedule to query three Airtable tables—Samples, Reagents, and Equipment—for records approaching expiry, low quantity, or upcoming maintenance and calibration deadlines using formula-based filters. The results are merged into a single stream and passed through a custom classification layer that calculates days-to-expiry, urgency levels, and suggested actions for each item type. An IF node checks whether any alerts exist and, when they do, routes them through a priority-based router that distinguishes urgent/high-priority issues from routine notifications. Urgent alerts are pushed to a designated Slack channel, while a consolidated email digest is generated for less critical items, and all alerts are logged back to Airtable for traceability. In parallel, a dedicated webhook endpoint receives POST requests from barcode scanners to update sample locations in Airtable and returns a confirmation payload to the scanner UI.

“Since we deployed this workflow, our lab inventory finally runs itself in the background. We have 4 scientists managing a spreadsheet instead of focusing on creating new research ideas.”

Filomena Freitas

Principal Investigator, BIOENG

Things I Did

I designed the overall workflow architecture, defining the inventory data model across Samples, Reagents, and Equipment in Airtable and mapping alert conditions to formula filters. I implemented the scheduled inventory checks, data merging, and custom alert classification logic in n8n, including the JavaScript that computes time-to-expiry and maintenance windows. I configured branching logic to differentiate urgent from non-urgent events and wired Slack and email nodes for real-time alerts and daily digests. I built the barcode scan webhook flow that updates sample locations in Airtable and returns human-readable confirmations to bench scientists.