October 10, 2012

$39 million of equipment sold at Alberta auction

GRAND PRAIRIE, ALTA.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world’s largest industrial auctioneer, sold more than CA$39 million (US$40 million) of equipment items and trucks at a recent unreserved public auction.

The auction was held in Grande Prairie, Alta. on Oct. 3 - 4. More than 2,000 equipment items and trucks were sold in the auction — with each and every item being sold to the highest bidder, regardless of price, without minimum bids or reserve prices.

Bids in the auction were made in person at the auction site, online at www.rbauction.com or by proxy.

“Prices were strong on both days of the auction; in particular oil and gas equipment sold very well this week in Grande Prairie,” said Blair Gogowich, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers.

“We had huge crowds on site and lots of bidding action on the internet, which resulted in great returns for our sellers. In total, more than 3,500 bidders registered to participate in the auction either on-site or online from 36 countries around the world. We look forward to doing this all over again during our next Grande Prairie auction in late November.”

Bidders from outside Alberta purchased close to CA$11 million or 27 per cent of total gross auction proceeds.

More than 1,650 of the bidders taking part in the auction registered to bid online and purchased more than CA$10 million (25 per cent) of equipment available online.

Equipment highlights in the two-day Grande Prairie auction included 35 crawler tractors, 31 hydraulic excavators, 19 motor graders and 24 truck tractors, as well as bed trucks, boom trucks, winch trucks and more — every single piece was sold to a new owner by the end of the auction.

Equipment was sold for close to 300 consignors, including late-model equipment for CDC and a complete dispersal for Tundra Oilfield Rentals Ltd.

“There was a lot of interest in my equipment from online bidders thanks to the great exposure that Ritchie Bros. provides,” said Les Dei, owner of CDC, a Hines Creek, Alta.—based oilfield contractor.

“Right now the wait times for new equipment can be too long for many contractors so they would rather spend their money on used equipment that has been at work and proven to work in tough conditions.”

Ritchie Bros. was established in 1958 and conducts hundreds of unreserved public auctions each year, selling a broad range of used and unused equipment, trucks and other assets utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries.

Ritchie Bros. has over 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including 44 auction sites worldwide.

DCN NEWS SERVICES

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