In close cooperation with RISC Software GmbH, Donausäge Rumplmayr optimized its processes, from the selection of logs to loading, and is already planning further digitalization projects to ensure the efficient use of this valuable resource.
Thanks to its properties as a renewable and CO₂-binding raw material, wood is a unique sustainable building material of the future. During its growth, trees only need time, soil, water and light. Their needles and leaves extract CO₂ from the surrounding air, bind carbon and release oxygen. Thus, wood not only stores CO₂, but also requires far less CO₂ for harvesting and processing compared to finite raw materials.
Handling this valuable resource responsibly and precisely has been the philosophy of Donausäge Rumplmayr for over 100 years. With two sites in Altmünster and Enns, the family-owned business produces round timber products for international markets. The product range includes sawn timber for construction, planed timber, wood chips and pellets. In addition, the company exports sustainable energy through its own bark power plant, which ensures 100% energy self-sufficiency.
At Donausäge Rumplmayr, every log is processed completely and without residue. To produce each cubic meter of sawn timber with maximum efficiency, all steps must be carried out with precision. The process starts with the selection of incoming logs, considering diameter, quality and length. Furthermore, capacities such as the sawing line, drying chambers and loading stations must be factored into planning.
RISC Software GmbH created mathematical models to optimize these processes. Using its optimization library RISC IBEX, global optima are calculated. The tool supports ideal order selection per cutting week and suggests optimal dimensions for each order, including length and quality ratios. Therefore, Rumplmayr gains certainty about yields and resource use, while also receiving rapid feedback if an order quantity cannot be fully met. Moreover, current sales decisions can be integrated immediately, and stock trends can be derived from the log yard.
The optimization application is currently being expanded. In the next development phase, it will also account for optimal loading for trucks and wagons, as well as kiln occupancy planning. Consequently, more stages of the process chain will be actively included in decision-making regarding cutting quantities.
Further digitization projects are already being planned, so that the productive partnership between RISC Software GmbH and Donausäge Rumplmayr will continue in the future.
Mathematical Optimization Specialist
