Industry and machinery auction house Surplex has recruited Ghislaine Duijmelings as a third managing director, working alongside the two managing partners, Michael Werker and Ulrich Stalter.
Headquartered in Düsseldorf, Surplex handles auctions for metal working machines, presses, CNC machines and other used machines. It has seen double-digit growth rates annually and sales have now reached over €100 million. The auction platform for metalworking and woodworking machinery is available in 16 languages. Over 500 online auctions were held in 2019, with more than 55,000 capital goods sold.
"Ghislaine Duijmelings will provide valuable experience for Surplex's further expansion and growth strategy," said Michael Werker and Ulrich Stalter. "Especially since we quickly had the feeling that she, with her values and personality, would be a good match for Surplex. Ghislaine will bring a lot of precious ideas for the further development of Surplex business model."
Ghislaine Duijmelings has extensive experience in managing B2B and online companies. Currently, the Dutch-born entrepreneur holds supervisory board positions at leading wholesale distributors in the Benelux region. Her biography includes professional commitment in foreign branches in Belgium, France, Southern Europe, Germany and the Netherlands, while Surplex itself is now represented by thirteen European offices, most recently in the Netherlands.
Surplex offers its clients different sales forms: in addition to classic commercial solutions, it is also possible to make an immediate purchase of machines and company inventory. "If required, we provide the sellers with immediate liquidity on fair terms," explained Stalter. "In this way we combine the efficiency and the flexibility of the auction platform with a traditional machine dealer service."
"The used machinery trade relies on pre- and after-sales service," said Werker. "The integration between online and offline skills is what sets us apart from the competition."
Surplex said it is the only European industrial auctioneer to be able to organise the liquidation service from a single source. Surplex supports and advises its customers personally, prepares expert appraisals and evaluates machines based on actual hammer prices. Once the goods have been purchased, the company takes care of disassembly, transport, customs management, payment procedures and assumes the complete VAT risk on behalf of its customers. "Many suppliers still find it easy to find a prospective buyer abroad," said Stalter, "but they may struggle to handle the overseas export of a large machine professionally."
"Together with Ghislaine we have developed some finer points on how we can improve and become even better. We are excited to manage Surplex as a team of three and believe that with Ghislaine's active support we will generate further strong growth opportunities."
