Online auto auction company Copart has opened four buyer lounges across Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America that allow international buyers to bid on and purchase Copart vehicles.
AutoBidMaster manages the lounges, which are located in Minsk, Belarus; San Salvador, El Salvador; Odesa, Ukraine and Lekki Lagos, Nigeria.
Copart said that with the lounges, local residents gain bidding, buying and shipping services to acquire vehicles from Copart's inventory.
The lounge in Minsk is the first Copart lounge in Belarus, and the San Salvador lounge is Copart’s second El Salvador lounge.
The Odesa lounge is Copart’s 11th lounge in Ukraine, and the Lekki Lagos lounge is Copart’s second lounge in Nigeria.
"We are thrilled to work with AutoBidMaster to add four international lounges to serve our global buyers," Copart CMO/CPO Scott Booker said in a news release.
Booker continued, “As interest in Copart continues to grow around the world, we are pleased to expand the network of Copart lounges to make it even easier for buyers to locate, purchase, and ship vehicles purchased through Copart.”
Saying that expansions will remain an important aspect of its investment strategy, global digital marketplace IAA said it was increasing capacity of its IAA High Desert branch in California and would also increase capacity in the overall Boston market.
Regarding expansions in IAA’s Boston market, which will span the IAA Taunton, Templeton, and Shirley branch locations, the company said that market will see a 20% capacity increase.
The IAA High Desert branch in Hesperia, Calif., will see an inventory space increase of more than 60%. IAA said that will add capacity to the overall Los Angeles market.
“Responding to strong demand and increasing inventory needs of our customers, these significant capacity increases will support growing markets on both the East and West Coasts,” IAA president of U.S. operations Tim O’Day said in a news release.
“Expansions continue to be a vital part of IAA’s investment strategy, allowing us to meet our customers’ needs while continuing to provide industry-leading buying and selling experiences,” he said.
ACV Auctions has redesigned its online buying experience, launching Marketplace 2.0 on Friday.
The revamped marketplace is designed to provide a more streamlined interface, customized alerts, real-time notifications on auction activity, as well as new options for searching, browsing and filtering.
“For dealers, time is money, and our platform enables them to make the most informed decisions in the least amount of time, maximizing their business potential and driving their bottom line,” ACV vice president of product solutions Greg Borowski said in a news release.
“ACV is committed to delivering on trust and transparency, and now we’ve added enhanced speed and efficiency, both of which dealers have been asking for,” he said.
“This redesign is the culmination of years of feedback from our dealer partners, analysis of our data and hard work by our engineers in order to enhance our digital wholesale marketplace so that it has a more intuitive interface and produces more streamlined transactions.”
ACV has added several new features to the marketplace, including a Saved Searches function that gives dealers the ability to have multiple and simultaneous filers. The interface also includes digital auction cards that let users see important information on cars upfront and then directly place bids.
Dealers can also “favorite” auctions through the Watchlist feature that lets them pin those sales to the screen and continuously monitor them.
“We listened to your feedback and delivered! Our dealer and commercial customers inspire the technology we’ve developed and we continue to take their important feedback to evolve our marketplace and roadmap,” ACV chief executive officer George Chamoun said in a news release. “Buying and selling wholesale vehicles online should be as easy as shopping on other digital experiences we have all come accustomed to. Dealers want the same functionally for wholesale; such as having multiple saved searches which collectively bring efficiency and accuracy.”
For more with ACV, see the episode of the Auto Remarketing Podcast below.
ACV co-founder Joe Neiman discussed the latest developments at the company, its expansion, being named one of Auto Remarketing's Best Auto Auctions to Work For and more.
Global online auto auction company, Copart, has expanded its Macon, Ga., location, with Copart president Jeff Liaw calling the move a step ahead for the company in central Georgia.
With the expansion, the facility now features 65 acres along with additional vehicle storage and operations capacity.
To place bids on vehicles through Copart’s online auction platform, eligible buyers can register at Copart.com/Register.
The Copart Macon location hosts weekly car auctions on Thursdays at 10 a.m. (ET).
“We are pleased about the expanded property because it provides us the additional space and resources to serve our customers in the exceptional manner they expect and deserve from Copart,” general manager Joshua Gardner said in a news release.
The location's contact information, sale lists and inventory is available at the Copart Macon page.
A list of all Copart locations is also available.
“Copart Macon's recent expansion marks an exciting step ahead for Copart in central Georgia, as well as for our customers in the area,” Liaw said.
To commemorate its second anniversary, Mid Kansas Auto Auction offered nearly 700 vehicles at a promotional event in November, and more than 60% sold.
That was an all-time record for the auction, said MKSAA owner/general manager Trevor Ottley, noting that the event showed attendance of more than 474 registered dealers in lane and online.
The event awarded more than $5,000 in cash and prizes to dealers.
“This was such an exciting day for us,” MKSAA owner and president Mark Ottley said in a news release. Mark Ottley started MKSAA in Hays, Kan. in 2005. In 2017, he decided to move the auction to Wichita and purchased the current location.
“Seeing all the hard work come together for such a great event for our dealers makes it all worth it.” Mark Ottley said.
After Ottley purchased the current location, MKSAA completed a $2 million renovation. That included a reconditioning facility, which features mechanic bays, two detail lanes, and five total sale lanes.
The Ottley family also recently noted that the next generation would take over the business operations. Trevor Ottley has joined the ownership team. He serves as general manager, with responsibility for day-to-day operations. The company describes Trevor Ottley as possessing entrepreneurial spirit similar to his father, with experience running various family businesses before he came to the auction.
Trevor Ottley said he was proud of the business’ staff.
“Though we have many new faces, and many are new to the auction industry, they have showed up every day the last year with relentless work ethic and a willingness to take on any challenge,” he said.
He continued, “They always find a way to get it done and do it the right way. I feel grateful to work alongside them and am excited to watch them continue to master their trade in the coming year.”
Part of the AMS Auction Network, Mid Kansas Auto Auction operates on 20 acres of land. It is capable of running five simultaneous lanes, full reconditioning and mechanical facilities, in-house transportation, AutoIMS and fully integrated online capabilities.
Dealers using the Manheim Express Concierge service can now run Concierge-inspected vehicles located on the dealer lot in a live, auctioneer-led Simulcast sale.
Manheim said the service works well for dealers who would like to wholesale their inventory right from their lots.
The company makes the announcement at a time when its Simulcast audience has seen significant growth, with more attendees per lane and more bids per vehicle.
The new “Manheim Express to Simulcast” capability is designed for vehicles that have been listed by a Manheim Express Concierge. Manheim said that with the new capability, buyers and sellers will see a more fully connected client experience.
As for sellers, by getting vehicles on their lots in front of one of what Manheim says is one of the world’s largest wholesale buying audiences, sellers can get more exposure for their inventory.
Manheim says its Simulcast attendance is larger than ever, with an approximately 100% increase in Simulcast attendees per lane since March and the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
In the same timeframe, vehicles on Simulcast have also seen a 178% increase in average bids per offering. Manheim says sellers are seeing strong results on its digital wholesale platform, with an approximate 96% increase in average daily vehicles sold on Simulcast.
Regarding buyers, they gain access to even more inventory during live Simulcast sales. They can shop while knowing that the Manheim Express condition report provides in-depth information, including a condition grade.
Manheim says that because a trained Concierge inspects all Manheim Express vehicles listed in a Simulcast sale, buyers will see accurate representation of vehicles.
The company says dealers using the Manheim Express Concierge Service can more easily and quickly list vehicles in the Manheim Marketplace. With a Concierge specialist, Manheim says dealers gain a trained expert on their lot to bring their listings to life with a detailed inspection along with condition information.
All Concierge-inspected vehicle listings come with a condition grade; audio and video tags to highlight specifics on the vehicle’s condition (including undercarriage and engine sound); 360° interior and exterior imaging; and OBD2 readings.
Clients wanting their eligible vehicles listed in a Simulcast sale can request run reservations and handle pre-registrations as usual. Upon pre-registration of vehicles, a local Manheim auction team member will handle the rest. Dealers who haven’t already discovered the benefits of the Concierge service can request a specialist through the Manheim Express app, on ManheimExpress.com. They can also contact their local Manheim sales rep.
“This latest enhancement shows the power of the Manheim Marketplace — giving dealers a truly connected, omni-channel experience for wholesaling vehicles,” said Connie Suozzo, associate vice president, open digital and offsite, Manheim Digital Solutions, in a news release.
Suozzo continued, “Sellers now get greater exposure for their offsite vehicles across Manheim.com, OVE and now Simulcast, while buyers have more inventory to bid on in the sale format of their choice.”
Manheim will soon close out its 75th anniversary year, and it is also celebrating the careers of what it says are several valued and long-standing company leaders.
“As we celebrate and reflect on our 75th anniversary, we will greatly miss these valued colleagues who contributed so much during their careers at Manheim,” Manheim president Grace Huang said in a news release.
Those five leaders, who Manheim describes as making leadership contributions that were pivotal to Manheim’s success, are Pete Sauber, Tony Markese, Butch Herdegen, Ellie Johnson and Tom Saldutte.
Sauber is vice president and general manager of Manheim New Jersey, and he will retire on Jan. 31 after an automotive industry career of more than 30 years.
Joining the company right out of college in 1985 as a management trainee, Sauber would go on to serve in roles of increasing responsibility before he became general manager of Manheim New Jersey in 1991. During his tenure there, the business showed a strong record of financial performance for the company’s third-largest location. Development and construction of the auction’s state-of-the-art 22-lane facility also took place during that time.
Markese retired in September as vice president of reconditioning after 22 years with Manheim. He started with the company as controller at Manheim Orlando. Markese served as vice president, operational excellence in the early 2000s, helping to lead various large-scale change projects. One of those was a $400 million initiative to modernize Manheim’s front office, finance, lot operations and vehicle check-in. Manheim has promoted assistant vice president of reconditioning Paul Halsch to fill Markese’s role.
Herdegen, who was vice president and general manager of Manheim Orlando, retired this month following a career with the company of more than 30 years.
During that time, Manheim says Herdegen was an award-winning professional and strong performer in remarketing, operations and sales. The company said he was results-oriented as general manager of Manheim Orlando, growing the site to become Manheim’s second-largest location. He also oversaw a $4.8 million investment in an 80,000-square-foot body shop. The shop offers services to dealers, commercial consignors and vehicle mobility providers. Upon Herdegen’s retirement, Manheim promoted JD Daniels to vice president-general manager of the Manheim Orlando-Central Florida Market Center.
Johnson retired this month as general manager of Manheim Statesville, and she is a former NAAA president. Johnson has been part of the Manheim family since the age of 5, and she went on to work with her father at a Manheim location in Virginia. She then formally began her career in the front office of her father’s auction, which later became Manheim North Carolina, in 1986. She served as 2014-2015 NAAA president, and Manheim said she played a strong role in launching an industry-wide safety awareness and accident prevention initiative. Mandy Savage became general manager for Manheim Statesville in March.
After a 33-year career that included various general manager and assistant general manager positions, Saldutte retired this month as general manager of Manheim Minneapolis. Manheim described Saldutte as having a reputation as one of Manheim’s most effective mentors. He always focused on the development and growth of the company’s next generation of leaders, Manheim said. Butch Herdegen Jr. replaced Saldutte as general manager of the Minnesota Market Center.
Huang said of the retiring leaders, “Their ability to navigate and adapt to a changing industry, help clients achieve their goals and keep their teams motivated was invaluable to Manheim’s success over the years. We wish them all the best in their retirements.”
A former member of the buying team at CarMax now is in a leadership position at Carolina Auto Auction.
General manager Eric Autenrieth recently announced that Kaci Kartikis has joined Carolina Auto Auction as its assistant general manager of sales and marketing.
When describing what Kartikis brings to the operation, Autenrieth said, “Kaci has a strong background in vehicle sales having previously served as a senior buyer for CarMax in the Charlotte area.
“She is familiar with the auction industry and is looking forward to building new relationships with commercial and dealer clients through her new role at Carolina Auto Auction, as well as taking the current successes at Carolina and turning them into additional opportunities for growth,” Autenrieth went on to say.
Carolina AA — situated halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. — hosts weekly sales on Wednesdays at 9 a.m.
The Greater Rockford Auto Auction recently broke ground on an office expansion that will include more office space, a new dealer work area, a larger conference room and a video production room.
The auction plans an early 2021 completion date for the 3,000-plus-square-foot addition.
The office expansion is the most recent in a series of investments that the auction has made during the past five years, said GRAA president Ryan Clark. Those investments have included a new reconditioning facility, a new on-site mechanical facility, revamped auction lanes and a strong physical investment in dealer safety.
“For 46 years, we've always been about putting our customers first and this expansion allows us to continue to grow alongside our dealers,” Clark said in a news release.
Clark continued, “As the wholesale marketplace continues to evolve, GRAA plans to continue to invest to give our customers and employees the best auction experience in the market.”
In its third generation of family ownership, Greater Rockford Auto Auction says it has deep roots in the automotive industry. The auction’s remarketing services including six auction lanes, reconditioning, onsite mechanical services, inspections, transportation, simulcast and an in-house floor plan program.
After starting the pilot with two locations last week, Manheim will resume running cars down the lanes at 12 more auctions starting this week.
Added to the pilot program are Manheim Ohio, Manheim Dallas, Manheim Fort Myers, Manheim Lakeland, Manheim Pittsburgh, Manheim San Antonio, Manheim Albany, Manheim Cincinnati, Manheim Dallas-Fort Worth, Manheim Omaha, Manheim Texas Hobby and Manheim Nevada.
The company kicked off its pilot return to physically running cars down lane at Manheim Nashville on Nov. 10, with Manheim Daytona Beach added on Tuesday.
“During our first two live, physical sales at Manheim Nashville and Manheim Daytona Beach, we received very positive feedback from dealers who told us they were excited about the return of in-lane physical sales, despite running limited unit types,” Manheim division vice president Alan Lang said in a statement.
“We continue to be intentional with our decision to expand the program with health and safety remaining at the center of everything we do,” Lang said. “Should the data continue to support a safe environment for team members and clients, we anticipate adding more locations.”
In interview earlier this month, shortly after the Nashville and Daytona Beach locations were announced, Lang said the company had locations in mind, in terms of expanding the pilot.
“A lot of that will be a mix of size of locations, scope … We've spent many, many days and nights talking to clients and deterining what their asks were and where could we go in and feel safe,” Lang said during that interview.
Much of it also deals with where state/local madates are, he said. “We're seeing some pop back up, so we try to stay out of those hot spots where we anticipated potentially having to reclose a sale. We're monitoring that very closely,” Lang said.
The in-lane physical sales must abide by Manheim safety guidelines. Auction offices will stay closed, and dealers must wear face coverings, social distance and abide by state/local guidelines.
Additionally, 21 locations now have Manheim's Lot Vision vehicle tracking system, and all of its sites allow on-site inventory previews.
On-site inventory previews began May 1. On June 8, Manheim started to allow sellers return to the auction block to rep vehicles.
Manheim began piloting the return of in-lane bidding through Digital Block format, where the vehicle remains stationery and bidders view the car on a screen,.the week of June 22, gradually rolling that out to the majority of its auctions.
Asked what led to the decision to return to cars running down auction lanes, Manheim president Grace Huang, who joined the call with Lang in early November, said during the interview: “What we've realized is that even though going digital was possible, we need to make it preferred.
“Through the last eight months, our dealers have been telling us, 'Hey, we're hanging in there … but we really would like to see some cars run thorugh the lane,'” she said. “And at the end of the day, it just came down to, we're here to serve all of our clients. We have very large clients and we have a lot of commercial clients, but we also have a lot of small clients, both on the sell side and on the buy side. And we're a big marketplace and we want to be able to provide the best client experience for everyone.”
However, Manheim does not plan on bringing back cars running through lanes at all of its locations. In fact, even before the pandemic, four auctions had already converted to Digital Block sales, Huang said. In June 2019, Manheim Tucson became the company's first auction to incorporate a 100% digital format, utilizing a four-lane setup where cars are parked in designated spots and sold to buyers both physically present at the facility and online. Other auctions have since been added.
“We know we have certain locations where all the sellers and buyers have basicially said, 'We're good, thanks! We're fine,'” Huang said. “It's a huge change curve over the last eight months and some locations, the dealers latched on to the change faster than other locations. So, no, we don't necessarily see all of our locations going back to running cars through lanes.”
