Over 1,500 lots of equipment are offered from two former facilities: the Sara Lee frozen desserts factory in Bridlington and the Heinz pizza factory in Grimbsy, claims the auctioneers, Pro Auction.
Pro Auction managing director Mark Flynn told FoodProductionDaily.com that the auction provides an opportunity for small and large food manufacturers in the bakery, confectionery or meat, fish and vegetable processing industries to purchase machinery at a fraction of new replacement cost.
“The equipment is in extremely good order as it has undergone a regular maintenance programme. About 60 per cent of the machinery on offer is for general processing with the remainder being bespoke bakery and confectionery lines,” he claims.
“This is the largest auction of its kind ever in the UK and we anticipate huge interest. I have had requests for information from manufacturers as far a field as Sri Lanka and India,” said Flynn.
Key items
Items for sale include content from the cake manufacturing, cream rooms, and sauce plants as well as office furniture and canteen equipment.
Products of particular note, according to Flynn, include eight Giusti and Skerman sauce kettles, Bakery Engineers pie lines, Rademaker lamination and pie shell lines, Comas pie and tart manufacturing lines, spiral mixers, Mondomix aerators and mixers and Frigo Scandia spiral freezers.
The processing machinery for pizza is also offered to the highest bidder.
Used equipment benefits
Pro Auction holds auctions of used food plant machinery every six weeks, said Flynn.
He argues that the growth of auctions in second-hand food machinery provides opportunities for managers to pick up brand name parts and equipment they may need to start lines or to upgrade their plants.
“Our auctions enable processors to purchase equipment at 40 per cent of the original price. The three to four month lead time typical with new purchases is eliminated as the machinery is readily available - providing processors with the ability to make adjustments to their production lines faster,” he said.
Flynn claims that their auctions also help smaller companies get into the market quickly without having to make a big spend on new equipment.
Viewing
The tender viewing takes place at Sara Lee Bakeries, Bridlington from 15 to 19 September with final tender offers to be submitted to the auctioneers by 5pm on 24 September.
Flynn said that in order to facilitate buyers all over the world, online bidding is possible through US based portal, BidSpotter.com