Do you really know what is the value of your plastic labware ? 

Price is a key driver of choice in your plastic labware purchasing path.

Most of plastic labware supplies are single-use items; they have a short life cycle: you buy them, use them, and throw them in the next bin in then same time or almost. You should think it twice and maybe pay an extra attention because sometimes analytical results accurary and acumen are directly influenced by labware plastic quality.

Indeed, a disposable can be compared to an ingredient for a cake: to be successful with a good and reproductible cake, a large part of the overall pastry budget has to be spent on these ingredients.

4% of lab purchases are disposables – thus, focusing on quality as a top driver is a way to reduce lab costs – especially when the majority of these are plastic items. It is important to consider that of every 10 analyses, 1 is a non-conformity!

So how to define what good quality means when dealing with plastic items ?

Let’s first consider their use on the bench !

Plastic labware supplies : focus on the usage value ! 

Value is first and foremost defined by how the supply will be used :

• if it’s about chemical product handling, value will lie in chemical resistance
• if it’s about contact with extreme temperatures, value will lie in resistance to heat or freeze
• if its’ about the absence of leakable or extatable plastic compon, value will lie in guaranteed absence of contaminants in plastic composition.
• if supply handling is key in the usage, then a user friendly format or size will determine supply value.
• If eventually packaging handling and destruction is key for a perfect use efficiency then disposable products for instance may be valuable.

All in all it’s processes and  working habits on each lab benches that make the difference and balance each value source in the overall purchasing decision process.

Manufacturers have launched different versions for each product line to meet the exact demands of each supply application, in order to try to adress any potential negative impact on any process.

For instance Eppendorf brings many plastic versions to the market :

Users can select the right value for their exact use. 

Characteristics, values, and benefits claimed by plastic supplies suppliers : Marketing or true technical benefits for then users in the lab ? 

All the highlighted characteristics are controlled, certified and validated by the quality control department, which must confirm compliance with the required technical guarantees to avoid any impact on the successful analysis performance.

Consequences of poor quality control may have great impact on results with severe consequences

such as:

• giving a bad or useless treatment to a patient,
• Delays or breaks in delivering manufacturing batches
• Destroy years of research by a simple mistake …

This shows that all technical specifications carry real value and are also a guarantee for a precise and accurate result for all analyses. Thus price can’t be your unique driver of choice when dealing with plastic supplies purchase.

As well as these specifications, to select the right plastic product, all the processing requirements must be considered: extreme temperatures (freezing or heat), chemical resistance (acid, base, solvent)…

The Chemical Resistance Of Plastics :

Every technical feature defines the value of plastic supplies with a specific use case: brand, quality, certification level must be considered before choosing a plastic product. Price alone will never define a supply.

LABELIANS team is always available to help you understand your exact needs, and recommend the best price for value ratio offer.