Manheim New Zealand’s general manager Andrew Sherliker and his team are quietly proud of their company’s international connections and of its nationwide coverage in New Zealand for its remarketing solutions for fleet vehicles.
The New Zealand company is part of the massive United States-based Cox Automotive Group, the fourth largest independently owned company in the world, with a global staff of more than 34,000 and 40,000 clients in more than 200 countries.
Globally, Manheim is the Remarketing Solutions arm of Cox Automotive and it is the world’s largest used vehicle marketplace.
Sherliker says the company has been in New Zealand for 20 years and as well as offering its global expertise it also boasts a nationwide network of facilities around the country.
The company has just opened new premises in Roscommon Road in Wiri, Auckland and it has receiving and storage centres in Wellington and Christchurch along with secure regional facilities in 14 towns from Kaitaia in the far north to Invercargill in the south.
Sherliker says this means that fleet vehicles for remarketing can be collected, stored, remarketed and sold in their home location, which translates into savings for Manheim’s clients on transportation costs. If clients prefer their vehicles sold in major centers, Manheim will relocate and remarket in the chosen location.
And the company is in growth mode. Its new Auckland premises has undercover storage for 300 cars and the exterior storage has space for 900 vehicles, so all auction viewing can be done undercover on the new expansive site. It’s also recently taken on new team members in its fleet division.
“One of the benefits of being part of a big international company is the strong skill sets that brings to the company as well as meaning we are able to bring new products into the market,” says Sherliker.
Currently about 80 percent of the vehicles it auctions are sold online and Manheim NZ has a simulcast online auction system, which it brought in from the United States and has recently updated. The simulcast means anyone bidding online can see the live auction in action and that anyone can bid from anywhere around the world.
Manheim’s remarketing of vehicles includes collection of the vehicle, undertaking any detailing that is needed, an accurate and thorough inspection combined with high quality professional photography of the vehicles. They also undertake any rectification that is needed before the vehicle is listed online and marketed. Once auctioned, the funds collection, remittance and vehicle delivery is undertaken.
The company says its detailing and rectification services optimise the sale-ability of customers’ vehicles, with the ultimate aim of maximising the net sales price for each vehicle.
The global company has more than 50 years’ experience selling assets on behalf of government, publicly listed and privately owned companies and in New Zealand they manage more than 20,000 vehicle movements a year.
Asked about the current market conditions in New Zealand for vehicle sales Sherliker says the market is very strong in terms of numbers with cars still coming into New Zealand from Japan. They are not seeing much in the way of electric vehicles for remarketing as yet, although a good number of manufacturers are launching their own electric vehicles and that will, in time, grow as part of the market.
His message to the fleet management industry is that Manheim can offer competitive terms, a nationwide network and a skilled team all underpinned by its global expertise.
