Used equipment immediately available

A smaller producer or an entire dairy factory; for auctioning equipment, you must go to Troostwijk Auctions. On behalf of the municipality of Land van Cuijk, all the equipment of a dairy factory on the Maas was auctioned. “Our strength is finding the right buyers.”

For the municipality of Land van Cuijk, it wasn't much of a brain-teaser to find the right party for auctioning all the equipment of a dairy processing factory and the complete clean delivery of the buildings. According to Tjeerd Hendriks, who is leading the dismantling and demolition project of the factory complex for the municipality, you then need to look for a company that operates internationally: "For the municipality, the challenge is to get as much out of it as possible. After all the mergers, Troostwijk Auctions was the most logical choice.”

90 years of experience

You won't easily catch Caspar Lampe, salesman at Troostwijk Auctions, boasting, but he is pleased with Hendriks' words. Why? In all modesty: “Because we have been doing this for 90 years, we have a lot of knowledge of - and experience with valuations, and with our online auction platform Atlas, we can benchmark everything like no other. That does give confidence.”

But if we may take one step back, why was an auction chosen in the case of the dairy processor in Cuijk? And not a regular sale? The answer is: time. The municipality wants to redevelop the area quickly, and negotiating with one or more buyers just takes more time. “Moreover,” says Lampe, “when there's little time, it's a pressure tool for the buying party.”

Caspar Lampe

No hassle

Apart from the fact that it is an advantage for the client to have everything done by one party - the municipality only gives the assignment and receives the funds in the account at the end - there is another advantage. In the auction, everything is described and photographed well and realistically, and there are viewing days. Auctions are different than regular trade: bought is bought. "In trade, it often happens that market parties come back with all kinds of arguments to get money off the selling price. Often even when the goods are loaded and are being driven off the premises. You don't have that kind of hassle with auctions, because the goods are only released after payment has been received.”

Reuse

Auctioning equipment in the sectors of food, agri, chemistry, transport, and pharma is booming at the moment, and that's not hard to explain. For starters, the delivery times for new equipment are much longer than before. Lampe: “That's also the reason why the prices for used equipment are so good. Companies can't afford to be down for long.” Moreover, the focus on sustainability is increasing. Not just among food giants, by the way. “We also do small-scale projects. Retail, small producers, a company replacing one line; you can join us with just a few assets.”

Marketing machine

Of course, Troostwijk is primarily an auction platform, but Lampe also says: “We are a marketing company.” What does he mean by that? “That we are able to attract potential buyers from all over the world. Based on big data, we can precisely map out who might be interested in what. In the case in Cuijk, we not only target entrepreneurs in the dairy industry but various target groups. For instance, this auction included a number of process tanks that are interesting for the broad food industry.” The nice thing is that Troostwijk can specifically alert these target groups to certain lots. “In addition, we focus heavily on online advertising (SEO and SEA, ed.), LinkedIn, and trade journals.”

Practical mindset

Hendriks is content with the way things are going and with Troostwijk's practical mindset. Lampe knows better than anyone that it's always exciting. “Even though we often exceed our own estimates lately, it all happens at the very end, in the last two minutes. Then we sit together with the client, watching the rising revenue. It's thrilling because you do have a common goal.” 

[Editor's note] The auction turned out to be a success, further attesting to the expertise and capabilities of Troostwijk Auctions and reinforcing the confidence placed in them by their partners and clients.

www.troostwijkauctions.com

Photos: © Jeroen Liebers, Studio 38c