Flutter-Based App for Merck to Advance Lab Productivity
97%
Faster inventory management
What LANEXO Inventory Manager does to the time a lab spends on stock.
2
Market releases
Both shipped since the Flutter app became operational.
The client
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is a science and technology company working across healthcare, life sciences and performance materials, with around 60,000 employees.
Its Digital Chemistry business supplies digital capabilities and informatics designed to make laboratories more efficient — LANEXO Inventory Manager among them.
The challengeWhat the teams actually needed
Most laboratories still run inventory on paper, which makes procurement slow and regulatory compliance harder than it needs to be.
Challenge 01Android only
At kick-off the product ran on Android devices alone, which capped both its audience and its room to grow.
Challenge 02Audit readiness as a requirement
Labs have to meet a range of regulatory standards and keep compliance documentation reliable and traceable across industry certifications.
Challenge 03Two platforms drifting apart
Adding iOS conventionally would have meant two codebases and the version discrepancies that come with them.
What we did
One Flutter codebase for a regulated laboratory product
The Digital Chemistry team came to Netguru to revamp the Android app, add iOS, and make both behave the same way.
Android revamped, iOS added
Moving to Flutter delivered both platforms at once and let Merck make market-driven changes without worrying about versions drifting apart — and validate assumptions faster.
A system, not a set of screens
New designs and a design system were implemented for the Flutter app, with the web experience and interface improved alongside.
Switching between app versions
A versioning function lets users move between versions, backed by several backend versions supporting different functionality depending on what a given user needs.
Scan it and it is logged
Integration with Smart Seals, RFID labels, NFC tags and UHF antennas means lab personnel register, track and monitor consumables with a phone. Storage compliance is monitored in real time, and every consumable carries its SDS, its owner, the dates it was opened and expires, where it sits, how much has been used and how it was disposed of.
Client testimonial
What I value most about our collaboration is the proactive approach to solving issues and the ability to adjust to ever-changing requirements. Netguru tackled all challenges one by one and delivered a complex app for two platforms in one fell swoop. They’re Flutter experts.
Tech stackThe tools that made it possible
01
Flutter
One codebase behind the iOS and Android applications.
02
RFID & NFC
Labels and tags that turn a physical consumable into a scannable record.
03
UHF antennas
Reading those labels at range, inside the lab environment.
More like thisOther places we scaled product teams for growth.
What’s next