Ritchie Bros. Orlando site to host company’s first ever six-day auction

infomine - mining equipment and supplier news | February 5, 2009 | 2:02 pm

Exceptional equipment selection expected to attract thousands of bidders from around world

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 28, 2009

ORLANDO, FLORIDA (January 28, 2009) – Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA), the world’s largest industrial auctioneer, will conduct its first-ever six-day unreserved public auction at its Orlando, Florida permanent auction site from February 16 – 21, 2009. The auction already features more than 7,000 heavy equipment items and trucks, with more items being added daily – and every item will be sold to the highest bidder on auction day, with no minimum bids or reserve prices. Last February Ritchie Bros. conducted the largest auction in company history at its Orlando site, selling almost 6,200 items over five days, generating US$190 million in proceeds and attracting 6,000 bidders from 71 countries.

“There’s no other auction in the world like the Ritchie Bros. February Orlando auction, in terms of its sheer size and the amount and variety of equipment being sold – and there’s no better place to find the equipment you need at the price you’re willing to pay,” said Gary Seybold, Ritchie Bros. Divisional Manager. “The first piece of equipment arrived at the site last October and we are still accepting consignments. And, because the auction will be unreserved, every item will have a new owner at the end of the auction. It’s that commitment – and the knowledge that we’re selling almost every type of equipment imaginable – that attracts thousands of bidders from around the world to Orlando. This is quite an event, not only for Ritchie Bros. and our customers, but for all of the businesses in this area that serve our out-of-town bidders.”

The annual February auction in Orlando is the largest auction on the Ritchie Bros. auction calendar. The Company recently added more than 75 acres to its Orlando permanent auction site; at 200 acres, the site is now filling with everything from cranes and hydraulic excavators, to forklifts and skid steer loaders, to rock trucks and truck tractors. The auction features equipment from Ring Power Corporation, Kelly Tractor Co., Gigliotti Contracting Inc., W. Jackson & Sons Construction, Sunbelt Rentals, United Rentals and other owners. Anyone wanting to add equipment to the auction can contact the Ritchie Bros. Orlando site at +1.863.420.9919.

Auction details:

  • Location: corner of I-4 & US Hwy 27 (700 Ritchie Rd), Davenport, FL. Phone: +1.863.420.9919.
  • Date: Monday, February 16 to Saturday, February 21, 2009. Auction start time: 8:00 am daily.
  • Auction is open to public; registration to bid is free.
  • Interested buyers can register to bid in person, in real time over the internet or by proxy.
  • On-site registration begins a few days before the auction; photo ID is required.
  • Internet bidders must register online before auction day at www.rbauction.com. First-time internet bidders are advised to register online at rbauction.com 2-3 business days before the auction.
  • Full equipment details, including photos, are available at www.rbauction.com.
  • Anyone can come to the auction site before auction day to inspect, test and compare items.

Ritchie Bros. Orlando, Florida auction (February 2009) – fast facts:

  • 200 – acre auction site
  • 7,000+ equipment items & trucks
  • 430+ consignors
  • 76,000 brochures sent to 125 countries
  • 5,100 bid books printed
  • 260+ staff including
    • 150+ part-time employees
    • 100+ Ritchie Bros. employees
  • 4,700 customer hats ordered
  • 5 shuttle buses driving customers to and from parking lot
  • 6 auction days
  • 6 auctioneers on schedule
  • 9+ people catching bids all the time
  • 20,000 bottles of water ordered
  • 7 golf carts driving customers around the auction yard

Photos available for download at www.rbauction.com/media

About Ritchie Bros.
Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is the world’s largest industrial auctioneer, selling more equipment to on-site and online bidders than any other company in the world. The Company has over 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including 38 auction sites worldwide. Ritchie Bros. sells, through unreserved public auctions, a broad range of used and unused industrial assets, including equipment, trucks and other assets utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries. The Company maintains a web site at www.rbauction.com and sponsors an equipment wiki at www.RitchieWiki.com.