HS Timber Group upgrades its GPS Traceability System
Company expands GPS tracking and unveils a new due diligence platform, improving timber transport traceability in Romania and across its global operations.
Vienna, Austria/Bucharest, Romania/August 2025 - HS Timber Group has introduced the new HS DDS application (DDS = Due Diligence System), a web and mobile-based system that improves traceability, security, and transparency of timber transports. The system upgrades the previous GPS tracking platform Timflow, which was operational in Romania only, and is now set to be used by HS Timber Group operations outside of Romania. The launch of the HS DDS system marks a further step in the company’s efforts and commitment to enhance digital traceability and due diligence in its supply chain.
Timflow Update: More security, less administrative efforts
The mobile application maintains key verification steps such as GPS tracking, time stamping and photo documentation of each delivery, and maintains public access to transport data, while adding robust security mechanisms that prevent data manipulation. The security features are extended to picture documentation at the reception that are automatedly linked to the respective transport data which is reducing further administrative efforts. The new application is more user-friendly and no longer limited to an exclusive use in Romania. The upgrade of Timflow and seamless integration into the HS DDS system improves compliance verification while reducing costs for both, suppliers and internal teams, and allowing resources to be redirected toward on-site audits and verifications. This is even further strengthening the ascertainment procedures of the company.
“As HS Timber Group suppliers we are, since years, supporting the company’s efforts in proving the legal origin of wood material”, says Andrei Buzilă from Aida Best Construct. “The new mobile app is easy to use and secure, making the compliance processes simpler and less time-consuming while supporting a transparent supply chain,” Mr. Buzilă said.
The application is available for download via the App Store and Google Play Store and is currently accessible to registered HS Timber suppliers and transport operators in Romania. Further features, such as the submission of due diligence statements in accordance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), will be integrated in the following weeks. Furthermore, the system has been built with scalability in mind and can be adopted by all mills in the HS Timber Group.
HS DDS: A success story based on transparency, honest effort and open dialogue
For years now, our company has embedded openness, transparency, and a structured dialogue also with critical stakeholders as core principles. By listening and by addressing issues with honesty, we have strengthened due diligence and built trust. It is therefore encouraging when independent credible voices, such as Gabriel Paun, leader of Romanian group Agent Green and United Nations Champion of the Earth, acknowledge these efforts: “After so many years of uninterrupted dispute but also constructive discussion, we appreciate that HS Timber became somehow a role model for transparency and traceability in the timber sector. My team gave their best for a more robust DDS for HS and I am keen to test its performance in practice, from forest to sawmills. I dare to challenge HS Timber to also extend TimFlow to final products in the near future”.
HS DDS at a glance:
Secure Mobile-Based GPS Tracking
A secure mobile-based tracking solution replaces dedicated GPS devices from the trucks.
Prevents the use of incorrect or fraudulent loading locations.
Location data cannot be manipulated or falsified, thanks to secure protocols built directly into the mobile app.
The recorded GPS location is automatically verified on the web platform cross-checking with the official coordinates of registered loading points, based on SUMAL primary platform(s) for each forest plot.
Simplified Transport Registration in only three steps
Entry of truck details, delivery note, and destination.
Entry of origin details, such as the name of the log yard or the SUMAL forest plot number.
Uploading of photos of the load, with the mobile app automatically verifying the GPS coordinates at the time of loading.
Additionally, option of uploading documents of origin for the plots.
Arrival and Load Verification
At the reception point, the system generates a QR code for each transport.
This code is scanned to retrieve the transport record, allowing verification of the load using a second set of photos.
The process ensures that the transported load matches the original documentation and visual records, adding a further level of control.
Public Access to Transport Data
As with the previous Timflow system, the HS DDS platform provides public access to transport data via https://public.hsdds.at/ .
The public can view transport histories and request further information in line with HS Timber Group’s transparency policies.
Prepared for EUDR Compliance
The new platform is designed to support compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
Additional functionalities, including the ability to submit plot-level information, geolocation data, documentation on material origin, and Due Diligence Statements, will be introduced gradually.
Integration with the TRACES system is ready to go.
Scalability and Security
The HS DDS system has been developed for scalability, enabling adoption across all HS Timber mills if needed.
Enhanced security protocols operate in the background to protect system integrity and data authenticity.
The platform reduces manual steps and supports automated verification processes to streamline internal workflows.