Surplex
 | |
| Industry | Used machinery trade |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Düsseldorf, Germany |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Michael Werker, Ulrich Stalter |
| Products | Used metalworking machinery, used woodworking machines |
| Website | www.surplex.com |
Surplex GmbH is a Düsseldorf based company that is primarily focused on buying and selling used machinery.
The company buys and sells used machinery and industrial plants, carries out internet auctions and offers appraisals and valuations.[1]
In addition, Surplex is one of the few dot-com start-up companies, that is still alive and profitable.
History
Foundation
Surplex.com AG was established by the brothers Bruno and Florian Schick at the end of 1999 as a typical start-up company of the Dotcom-era.[2] The core idea was to develop an online marketplace to simplify the trading of used machinery and to make the highly segmented second hand machinery market more transparent.
This business model attracted many institutional and private investors. International venture capital consortia such as the Carlyle Group [3] and the French Vivendi-group invested a total of around EUR 50 million. Also prominent private investors including Lars Schlecker, Lars Windhorst, Marc Schrempp or the chairman of Fiat Paolo Frescoe have invested in Surplex.[4]
Crisis
With the bursting of the Dot-com bubble, Surplex.com AG found itself in a struggle to survive. Offices were closed, the head office was transferred back from Berlin to Düsseldorf and most of the approximately 140 jobs were lost.[5] In March 2003 Michael Werker, who had initially come to Surplex from the traditional engineering company Deutz, became CEO.[6]
Turnaround
It was only through a rebalancing of the company, to include a focus on more traditional services, that Surplex was able to consolidate its finances. Today Surplex is no longer limited to „virtual“ business processes, but also offers „real“ services around the application of used machinery, e.g. personal consultation, appraisals and storage.[7]. Used machines and production lines are marketed worldwide. Furthermore, Surplex carries out big internet auctions (live and online), e.g. for companies like Linde, ABB, ThyssenKrupp and Bayer.[8]
Products
The business-to-business-platform from Surplex is the European leader in selling used machines and equipment and was awarded the best platform in 2001 by Forrester Research. [9]. At its peak, the platform had more than 8,000 customers and 12,000 machines.
Surplex is the publisher of the world's largest magazine for used machinery and equipment (communicator). With a circulation of 45,000 and more than 100,000 readers, it reaches people in more than 100 different countries.
External links
References
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- ^ "Leistungsspektrum". Surplex.com. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
- ^ Susanne Ziegert (2000-06-14). "Alte Industrie verdient im neuen Medium" (in Template:De icon). Welt.de. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "b-business Partners: Surplex Raises 30 Million Euro". Thefreelibrary.com. 2000-12-14. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
- ^ "Surplex.com AG, 36 Mio. Venture Capital". Press1.de. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
- ^ „Auch Schrempp jr. & C. müssen sparen. Promi-Online-Händler Surplex gibt Berliner Zentrale auf“, Berliner Morgenpost Nr. 130, (14 May 2001), p. 13
- ^ "Personalien" (in Template:De icon). Industrieanzeiger.de. 2003-06-16. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ „Mit Full Service Volltreffer gelandet“, NC Fertigung Nr. 5 (September 2006), p. 12
- ^ http://www.surplex.com/de/surplex-gebrauchtmaschinen/referenzen.html, accessed on 5. October 2007
- ^ Forrester Research