The Swiss-founded online equipment marketplace EQUIPPO has been named the “Zalando for Excavators” due to its money back guarantee and commitment to free worldwide return shipping. The venture-backed, start-up company – now in its fourth year of trading – has acquired Berlin-based SELLMA, a start-up dedicated to helping German construction companies sell their used equipment to traders worldwide in an easy and fast online transaction.
Equippo is expanding its services with a permanent auction yard
Simultaneously, Equippo is expanding its services with a permanent auction yard in Zeebrugge, Belgium – announcing its first online and live auction at this location on December 4 – to deliver a multi-channel platform for their customer base.
Equippo just closed a new funding round of undisclosed amounts from existing venture capital investors to drive this expansion, whose shareholders include: Hilti, Credit Suisse and McKinsey – alongside contributions from high profile venture capitalists Florian Schweitzer and celebrated “Unicorn Hunter”- Daniel Gutenberg.
Equippo, which now numbers 20 full-time employees, has also expanded; adding two of the outstanding achievers from their industry competitors. François Boucher and David O’Neill – who were with Ritchie Bros, then Mercier Auction and IronPlanet respectively – now join Paul Williamson who brought his considerable experience and reputation with IronPlanet to Equippo last year.
Michael Rohmeder – Equippo’s founder and CEO – describes the expansion as a key step in tearing down trade barriers to services that have previously been the privilege of professionals and traders: “The Sellma founders Ronny and Helge share the same vision, to disrupt the equipment market with a highly scalable online platform that offers massive benefits to buyers and sellers.
Sellma is focused on end-user sellers, while Equippo is focused on end-user buyers. There is a perfect strategic fit, and also a geographic match. We want to offer the best experience and the best prices, both for buyers and sellers, with our innovative channels. Ronny Pankratz and Sellma fit perfectly in our family.”
The key features of the SELLMA acquisition offer:
- Dedication to small and medium construction companies’ needs;
- The best possible selling experience, by using an online service approach similar to unicorn Auto1 known as wirkaufendeinauto.de;
- Traders the unique benefit of fresh and unadvertised machines in a closed circle;
- A fast and transparent sale with access to all of Equippo’s offerings.
These, combined with Equippo’s unique approach with its money back guarantee and independent inspection policy, clearly differentiates Equippo from all other platforms and services while continuing to “democratise the trade.”
Michael Rohmeder states: “Equippo’s strategy is to be the technology leader in this business by expanding its offering with Sellma online and also listening to seller needs for a delivery address and definite sale. The large rental companies specifically asked us to build these channel features. This includes the choice of the best possible strategic location of our auction site in Zeebrugge – the largest Ro-Ro port in the world. ”
He concludes: “Our online activities and our live auction in Zeebrugge will be the basis for the technological transformation not only of used equipment trade but as well the auction business. We are a technology company as much as construction people and build software in house, which delivers the advantage of speed of development for features on both our buyer and seller side.” www.equippo.com
