As fleet service superintendent of Madison, Wisconsin, Bill Vanden Brook is in charge of managing a wide range of equipment, from off-road machines to light-duty trucks. His role includes selling unused or underutilized equipment as well as machines nearing their end of life. The city disposes of about 100 vehicles per year, so Vanden Brook needs a reliable and efficient solution for getting this equipment into buyers’ hands.
For the past eight years, Vanden Brook has sold the city’s heavy equipment through IronPlanet, the leading online marketplace for buying and selling used equipment. He usually sells about 10 items per year with IronPlanet, including dozers, loaders, fire trucks and a variety of other items.
“We previously used local onsite auctions or traded machines in to the manufacturer,” said Vanden Brook. “However, IronPlanet is a better fleet management solution because it drives greater prices and allows us to quickly sell equipment.”
Vanden Brook provides the maintenance history for each machine, and an inspector from IronPlanet visits his site to conduct a detailed inspection. This information is included in a guaranteed inspection report that provides prospective buyers valuable information about the equipment before purchasing. The inspection reports are backed by IronPlanet’s IronClad Assurance® buyer protection program, guaranteeing that they are a true representation of the condition of the equipment.
By using IronPlanet, Vanden Brook helps the city of Madison realize the following benefits:
- Greater return on its used equipment
To test IronPlanet’s model, Vanden Brook once sold three tractors with IronPlanet and three with another auction solution. With IronPlanet, he witnessed a 15 to 25 percent greater return. He also monitors the trade-in value of the city’s equipment and notes that IronPlanet provides a better return by about 10 percent.
- Faster selling
IronPlanet facilitates quick transactions, with sellers typically turning equipment into cash in 30 days.
- Cost savings and convenience
Vanden Brook doesn’t have to transport the equipment to an auction to be sold. Instead, IronPlanet sells the machines from where they sit and the buyer handles transportation of the equipment.
