Euro-4 boost for audions
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Business is growing at Manheim's established fortnightly truck auctions as buyers shy away from buying into new technology.
This year has seen Manheim Auctions' truck sales grow steadily rather than developing through a series of peaks and troughs. HGV and plant manager Jeremy Martell reports that there has been growth, but it's been balanced.
With the introduction of fortnightly sales stock has been kept to manageable levels as there has been an overall rise in the number of lots.Typically 120-200 units go under the hammer at ach event, and the lots are shifted in around four hours, "It keeps things sensible," Martell explains. -It allows buyers to arrive and leave at a sensible time and get back to the yard if they have to."
The change has also seen conversion rates rise dramatically. They are currently averaging 7274 %, compared with around 60% last year. However, arguably a more telling reason for the growth in demand has been the rise of buyers turning their backs on a host of new developments such as digital tachographs, training and Euro-4 drivelines.
The number of domestic purchasers at auction has risen by 4% this year. Martell cites economies of scale and diesel prices as reasons for the more cautious approach by operators who have decided to replace their fleets. "People have been slower to replace their fleets. But when they have done it; it's been assertive," Martell concludes. •