“Everything from one supplier”

Machine and plant specialist Rudnick & Enners of Alpenrod/DE supplies the right machines and plants to its customers, who range from small and medium-sized sawmills to industrial companies. “Wood and biomass have been our focus for decades. We are a one-stop shop for complete solutions – from sawmill disposal systems to finished, bagged pellets,” authorized representative Sven Rudnick says. He is already the third generation to work in the family company, while his father, Burkhard Rudnick, is responsible for its management. The sawmill industry remains a very important sector for the company as a look in the order books proves. This year, for example, Rudnick & Enners supplied the entire wood waste disposal system to Rettenmeier’s new production site in Wilburgstetten/DE, which managing director Dr. Stephan Lang refers to as “Europe’s most modern sawmill”. Furthermore, Rudnick & Enners was awarded the contract to equip Best Wood Schneider’s sawmill in Meßkirch/DE, which will start operating in 2022. Another sawmill project is the equipment provided to Binderholz in Baruth/DE. As mentioned above, small and medium-sized enterprises are also among the company’s customers. Rudnick & Enners’s Gunnar Krämer gives installations in the sawmills Gerhard Seidl in St. Martin in the Lower Austrian Waldviertel as well as Mayer in Rainau/DE and Kraus in Langdorf-Schwarzach/DE as examples.

More pellet mills under construction

For the pellet industry, Rudnick & Enners offers a complete range of machines and plants – from chip processing units and belt dryers with heat recovery systems to bagging units and the suitable screening technology. “In 2021 and 2022, we are working on several pelleting projects worldwide which have a total installed capacity of more than 800,000 tons a year,” Rudnick tells us. In this context, the name Rettenmeier is mentioned again: The company’s pellet mill in Ramstein/DE was built by Rudnick & Enners and is to go into operation very soon. In 2022, Rudnick & Enners will supply a complete pelleting plant including a heating plant infeed and industrial wood processing with a chipper and debarking line to another German customer. More pelleting plants are being built in Austria, France and South America as well. “Also, we were able to deliver a complete pellet plant to England this year. It’s our first on the British Isles,” the authorized representative says, satisfied.

Together with Christian Gebele, Sven Rudnick runs the engineering office BSR Engineering in Alpenrod whose aim is to offer customers extensive support. The office takes care of project development and planning, investment planning and project implementation.

Further developments

Further developments and optimizations are planned in various areas – also in cooperation with customers. According to Rudnick, the main focus will be on the compact belt dryer, for which the company designed its own heat recovery system, as well as on process optimizations in pelleting, extrusion plants for the recycling of wood waste and further developments in screening and shredding technology.

In addition to the existing services offered by Rudnick & Enners, a service app which includes AR glasses will be launched in the coming weeks. “This solution offers visual help and voice instructions in the respective language of the customer. With this additional service, we want to offer our customers an even better and faster support,” Rudnick emphasizes.

High degree of internal production

Rudnick & Enners is particularly proud of the vertical range of manufacture. “We want to have as much in-house added value as possible since it also allows us to advance new developments more quickly,” Rudnick explains. In recent years, for example, the company has made investments in sheet metal processing machines, turning and milling machines and the first robot. The company is also committed to sustainability. “With our own photovoltaic system, we can generate up to 100% of the electricity we need, depending of course on the amount of sunlight. We are currently building our own charging stations for our vehicle fleet. We are on the way to becoming a carbon-neutral company,” Rudnick says.

“We are very happy about the Holzkurier award because it acknowledges and recognizes our work. Most of all, of course, we want to thank our employees and customers without whom our success wouldn’t be possible,” Rudnick emphasizes in conclusion.