A new pan-European industry auction house called
Dome Auctions is off to a flying start. The launch of the new auction house has introduced an innovative auction platform exclusively for the Western European metalworking industry. Over the next two months, Dome Auctions is set to auction 100 high-quality modern machine fleets of four Swiss companies. The inventories of sheet metal company Marton AG will be auctioned off, as well as those of Progin AG Metal and BIG Kaiser. Together with Tabelco, a manufacturer of electrical switchgear cabinets, they are Swiss industrial companies that are either reorganising or have recently gone bankrupt due to the recent challenges the industry is grappling with.
Olivier Zwahlen, business area director at
Platinum Industrial Plant & Machinery (PIPM Group), said: “Unfortunately, Marton and Progin Metal went bankrupt, they were good companies that continued to invest up until just two years ago. This enables us to auction a range of high quality, modern sheet metal-working machines.”
PIPM is having the four companies’ machines auctioned through Dome Auctions, with which it has a strategic partnership. The auction of the machines of sheet metal processing company Marton AG has already begun. The family-owned company supplied both automotive customers and construction companies. Due to changes in the German manufacturing industry as well as the loss of one major customer, Marton’s owner unexpectedly had to file for bankruptcy.
Of the almost 800 lots up that are up for auction, a 2016 Trumpf TruLaser 5040 laser cutting machine and a Trumatic 7000 punch laser are feature items. These machines are now up for auction, as well as an FMG GBLK sheet metal warehouse with 343 lots of sheets of 4,000 x 2,000mm with a weight per cassette of up to 5,000kg. Marton has always invested heavily in automation, including a Trumpf Sheetmaster 7130 vacuum loader and cutting technology. Besides the laser cutting machines, a Bystronic ByJet Classic 3015 waterjet cutting machine is also up for auctioned, along with numerous hand tools. The auction runs until 21 April. There will be a viewing day on 17 April. The auction runs online and can be followed
here.
Progin SA Metal is another Swiss family business that recently filed for bankruptcy. Progin also specialised in the sheet metal-working sector, but mainly in the production of profiles for the construction industry and for facade cladding. Progin invested in a Bystronic BySprint Fiber 4020 precision laser cutting machine in 2018. This machine is equipped with an automated loading and unloading unit and a 4kW fibre laser. A second laser cutting machine from Bystronic will also be auctioned. The plate processor in Bulle still has a substantial steel stock that will also come under the hammer. It involves more than 1,000 plates of various metals and quality. The company’s fully automated storage system will also be auctioned off. This auction will start in early April and continue until 5 June and 29 May will be the viewing day. The auction can be viewed
here.
The third online auction organised by Dome Auctions for PIPM is that of Tabelco. The Swiss company built switchgear cabinets for international machine builders and was part of a large international group that closed a number of production sites, including that of Tabelco in Bulle. Besides many smaller hand tools and a large stock of power cables, larger machines are for sale. Tabelco’s auction runs from 3 April with a viewing day on 6 May — the auction closes on 8 May. The auction can be viewed
here.
The fourth auction of BIG Kaiser’s ‘state of the art’ production machines, which is not an exclusively online auction, is directly linked to the Japanese parent company’s decision to stop production in Switzerland and concentrate on its modern plant in Japan. As a result, PIPM is having 29 modern CNC machines auctioned off via Dome Auctions, including a 2022 Index G220 turning milling centre and a 2019 CNC lathe CLX 350 from DMG Mori including more than 40 collets from Hainbuch.
Other modern machines include a 2017 DMG Mori NTX 1000 multi-tasking mill/turn machine, and a Studer S33 universal cylindrical grinder from 2023 which has run less than 2,700 production hours and is equipped with many accessories. Other grinding machines from Studer, Kellenberger and Rosa Ermando are also offered for sale in this auction. All machines can be inspected and purchased on 15 May and are on display ready for operation at BIG Kaiser's factory in Rümlang (near Zurich). Further details on this auction can be viewed
here.
An overview of all machines and hand tools from these four auctions, can be found
here.