The new used-machine fair at its new site in Cologne and the new auction portal in internet. The FDM Association has taken these steps among others to support its members in the business that they do in a globalised market.
Herr Radermacher, what do the Association and its members expect from the change of site of the used-machine fair from Karlsruhe to Cologne?
From the beginning onwards we had a very positive reaction to the founding of Usetec in Cologne. Our member companies in the specialist group of used machines, but also our former partners and exhibitors from Resale days are very pleased to be able to put on this fair, with its international accents, in Cologne. Cologne is an internationally-known city with culture and flair, with an ideal geographical position and easy to reach by plane, rail or car. What is more, the fair ground is in the middle of the city, which makes it very attractive for exhibitors and visitors.
And how can you guarantee a large number of foreign visitors?
The Koelnmesse GmbH has its own network of foreign representatives and has a lot of experience in organising international exhibitions. This leads to a very positive synergy effect for Usetec, especially now that Hess GmbH from Weingarten, Baden, is part of the team. Weingarten, as an old Resale partner and new part-organiser of Usetec has nearly 20 years experience in realising such events and has the necessary contacts abroad.
Compared to the previous year, what is the current attitude of banks regarding the financing of smaller companies?
The economy has been very much better since around the middle of 2010. There is not only in Germany but almost all around the globe an enormous need to invest and a great demand for machine tools, both new and old. However, a lot of business is lost due to the failure of banks to provide credit. One reason is because the banks understandably use the poor company results of the recent difficult years as a basis for their decisions. Another reason, however, is that there is still no realistic credit policy tailor-made for small and medium-sized companies. Politicians and financial institutions must finally get around to producing a policy designed to help smaller companies.
Subsequent to the successful used-machine portal MachineStock.com, the association has now created an auction platform in Internet. Why?
Internet as an information and marketing medium is well established and an essential part of our work. For this reason the FDM and the member companies of the specialist sub-group for secondhand machines created the used-machine portal MachineStock.com, which has by now achieved the status of a so-called Trusted Marketplace for machines using older technology. In the meantime, we see more and more online auctions as a marketing tool in internet. In view of this development, the FDM and its members also want to make use of this marketing technique to demonstrate their seriousness and reliability and have created a further Trusted Marketplace for online auctions.
How has the auction platform been received by members and customers?
Surprisingly well. Although the platform is still in its early days, has only recently become active and is still hardly used, some machines have already been sold by auction in this way. We are learning from auction to auction, and our member companies are offering an increasing number of machines. More and more customers are becoming aware of the existence of the platform and are registering themselves, which, by the way, does not entail any costs, fees or commissions. The seller, even if he is successful, is not involved in any expenses by using the platform.
Dr. Rolf Langbein
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