November 25, 2025 In modern production, it is not just a question of whether material is available – but also whether it is in the right place at the right time, in the right quality and with the right shelf life. The new version of the detailed planning tool GANTTPLAN from DUALIS expands material flow planning with new functions for taking minimum shelf life into account and for context-sensitive batch and storage location management.
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“In many companies, materials are distributed across several warehouses – this often makes planning a juggling act between stocks, transport costs, delivery times and shelf lives. Our new storage location function in GANTTPLAN ensures that the system automatically selects the optimal storage location – taking into account transport routes and shelf life windows – and thus creates planning reliability,” explains Dr. Kirsten Hoffmann, Product Manager at DUALIS GmbH IT Solution.
GANTTPLAN now automatically checks whether materials are still within their shelf life window at the planned time of use. Each batch can have an expiration date that is included in the planning. This allows orders to be scheduled in such a way that the required remaining shelf life is guaranteed – significantly reducing planning errors and rejects.
The minimum shelf life is not considered in isolation: Precise batch management is required to take best-before dates (BBDs) into account in planning. GANTTPLAN makes it possible to differentiate between batches based on best-before dates and takes into account different shelf life types – for example, whether the shelf life of the end product depends on the materials used or has its own shelf life. This creates a realistic time window for planning production orders and order networks.
The relevance of such functions is particularly evident in industries with limited shelf life and storable intermediate products. In the food industry, raw materials such as fruit concentrates or milk powder must be processed within defined periods of time in order to guarantee quality and safety. Precise batch and storage location planning is essential here. What is traditionally referred to as the best-before date in food production can also be referred to as “shelf life”, “out time”, “open time” or “moisture sensitivity level” (MSL) in other industrial contexts, for example.
In industries such as aerospace and automotive, sensitive materials such as pre-resinated fiber composites, adhesives or sealants, paints or battery cells must be processed under defined conditions and within narrow time windows, as they quickly lose quality or processability. In electronics production, solder pastes, underfills and moisture-sensitive components are time-critical and must be processed or dried on time. The timely provision of lubricants, seals or sterile components is also crucial for quality and safety in mechanical engineering and medical technology.
The new batch management in GANTTPLAN enables precise tracking of materials with different properties – such as quality levels, chemical compositions or shelf life. Batch information flows directly into the material relationships in planning and forms the basis for scenarios that also take into account characteristics such as minimum shelf life or processing windows. This makes detailed planning not only more intelligent, but also more reliable – especially for time-critical materials.
The storage location function also plays a central role in the interaction with BBDs: materials with a limited shelf life must not only be provided on time, but also from the right warehouse. GANTTPLAN automatically recognizes prioritized storage locations, takes transport times and costs into account and allocates materials accordingly. If a production step is carried out at an alternative workstation, the supplying warehouse adapts dynamically – and ensures that shelf life is not jeopardized by unnecessary delays.
“With the new features of our APS, we are significantly expanding detailed planning: material availability is no longer just considered as ‘available or not available’, but context-dependent – in the interplay of location, quality and time. This helps to understand where the material comes from, what it is made of and how long it will last. This results in realistic, resource-saving production planning,” explains Heike Wilson, Managing Director of DUALIS GmbH IT Solution.
GANTTPLAN application in control station mode
Image source: DUALIS image composition, _c_Gorodenkoff_shutterstock_782843011
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Founded in 1990, DUALIS GmbH IT Solution – a subsidiary of iTAC Software AG and part of the DĂĽrr Group – specializes in the development of software and services related to simulation, process optimization and production planning. The product range includes the APS system GANTTPLAN, the 3D simulation platform Visual Components and the hall planning tool AREAPLAN. DUALIS products are integrated in numerous well-known applications in large-scale industry and in medium-sized companies in the production and service sectors. Consulting and services for strategic and operational planning round off the DUALIS range of services.
The DĂĽrr Group is a leading global mechanical and plant engineering company with particular expertise in the technology fields of automation, digitalization and energy efficiency. Its products, systems and services enable highly efficient and sustainable manufacturing processes – especially in the automotive industry, for manufacturers of furniture and wooden houses as well as in the assembly of medical and electrical products and in battery production. The DĂĽrr Group generated sales of € 4.7 billion in 2024 and currently has around 18,000 employees and 130 locations in 32 countries.
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👉Website Dualis
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Photos: DUALIS GmbH IT Solution
