Giving machinery a new lease of life

In the huge 5,000-square-metre facility, stainless steel stretches for as far as the eye can see. “This is just a fraction of what we handle,” says Ad van Kollenburg, Managing Director and owner of Industrial Auctions. The company is growing rapidly, and had to move from its location in the Dutch town of Best to a former printing plant in Eindhoven in May of this year.

“The machinery normally stays on our customers’ premises and we organise on-site viewing days,” says Van Kollenburg. “That’s why our auctions don’t involve an auctioneer’s hammer; all the action takes place on our website.” Industrial Auctions has a special room where people can watch the auctions. “We usually start at around 2 p.m., which is the best time for all our international customers. A piece of machinery is sold every ten minutes. It’s really exciting to see the bids coming in from all over the world, until the very last moment. At our new facility we’re currently creating a comfortable room where we can monitor the bids coming in on screen with our vendors.”

Everything is fit for sale

Van Kollenburg founded the company in Best in 2010. Nowadays Industrial Auctions employs 15 people, including eight project managers with food industry expertise. The company earns its money by charging a 16 percent commission on the auction proceeds. In return for this fee Industrial Auctions offers a specialist service, states John van Berlo from the company’s marketing department: “We work mainly for companies that are closing down a plant, but also for machinery dealers and trustees in the case of bankruptcies. Unfortunately we don’t have time to actually test the machines, but we do critically assess them and make sure that the goods are fit for sale. We don’t want to be selling rubbish. We take a lot of photos, both of the machines as a whole, their control panels and the component parts. We make sure that everything is visible, including any areas of wear and tear or missing components. Potential buyers trust us not to mislead them.”

Genuine bids

The photos are uploaded to the website, including a description, and the starting price is set. Then the online bidding process can start. Van Berlo: “We always contact the people who register to make online bids, and it doesn’t take long to establish whether they are credible. We only want to receive genuine bids, to prevent our customers from being disappointed by a bidder backing out.” It’s also exciting when the buyers come to collect their goods, says Van Kollenburg: “We have a big team of people on hand on collection day to help load up the machinery and also to keep a close eye on everything being done above board.”

www.industrial-auctions.com

Ad van Kollenburg (left), John van Berlo (right) and Bas Schellekens (at the back)