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Second-hand sourcing needn’t be a minefield
01 May 2007
BMT’s ports and logistics division says it receives two or three serious enquiries every year to help terminal operators identify second-hand equipment. Managing director David Wignall explains why punters engage a consultant to help.
“Finding secondhand equipment is not just a matter of going to a dealer; you need to have a reasonable idea of where equipment exists that is excess to requirements. Not much of this is necessarily advertised. Therefore, an external consultant that knows the market well can often identify potential opportunities,”he explains.
He dismisses the suggestion that hiring a consultant to help in the acquisition of second-hand equipment might well reduce the cost advantage of not buying new equipment in the first place.
An experienced consultant, he argues, can add value to the sale and purchase process for both sides.“A consultant will have a good idea of the value of the cranes involved, as well as knowing what parts of the crane need special investigation, such as the control and drive systems, the availability of spares and so on.”
Justifying BMT’s own role in what must be, by default, a low-margin business segment, Mr Wignall explains that the company believes it is important to be able to provide as complete a service as possible so that it can add the most value to its clients’ operations,rather than simply providing them services that are purely aimed at high profit generation.
“Clearly we do not give away our services for free, but it is important that clients get the range of services they are seeking,” he says. According to Mr Wignall, rubbertyred gantries are the easiest item for a terminal to sell on, while the best value-for-money second-hand purchases tend to be ship-to-shore cranes – when you can get them.
