Ramon Marsal Minguella – a Director of Spain's largest equipment rental company – has been a loyal Ritchie Bros. customer since 2000, when Ritchie Bros. first started conducting auctions in Spain.
When it comes to auctions, Ramon values selection and fairness – but he values relationships even more.
Ritchie Bros. sets the standard.
Ramon Marsal Minguella has been a loyal Ritchie Bros. customer ever since Ritchie Bros. started conducting auctions in Spain in 2000. Over the years he has worked with different Ritchie Bros. representatives: Jeroen Rijk, Jacobo Garcia, Toni Olivé. But he uses the same word to describe them all: friend.
Ramon has served as a Director of General de Alquiler de Maquinaria (GAM), Spain's largest equipment rental company, since it acquired his own company, Vilatel, and established the subsidiary GAM Vilatel in 2007. At the time, Vilatel was the largest aerial work platform rental company in Spain, with 15 regional offices and 4,500 rental units.
Today, GAM has over 100 offices in Spain, Portugal and elsewhere in Europe, as well as South America and the Middle East, with more than 10,000 equipment items and hundreds of vehicles in its rental fleet. A lot of that equipment was purchased at unreserved Ritchie Bros. auctions.
"For GAM Vilatel it is important to count on a company like Ritchie Bros. because there is so much buying and selling of machines and transportation equipment," says Ramon. "We must maintain our extensive rental fleet in very good condition and, in order to do so, auctions are an essential resource."
And when it comes to auctions, "Ritchie Bros. sets the standard," says Ramon. He has attended dozens of Ritchie Bros. auctions in Spain and found them to be consistently fair, professional and transparent. "I have always returned satisfied from every single auction," he says. "We have always purchased good equipment at excellent prices."
That integrity and transparency means just as much to Ramon when it comes time to sell. "The complete information Ritchie Bros. provides prior to their auctions, added to the fair conditions and professional maturity with which they conduct each sale, have all been key factors for us when it comes time to make a decision on which deal best suits
our needs."
Over the past several years, Ramon has sold millions of euros of equipment at unreserved Ritchie Bros. auctions – first for Vilatel, more recently for GAM Vilatel. Ritchie Bros. always "conducted accurate appraisals and honored our contracts," says Ramon. "We never encountered any surprises or problems."
Although he appreciates the expertise of the Ritchie Bros. staff, the amount and variety of equipment on offer and the company's commitment to fair, unreserved auctions, Ramon says it's the "excellent relationship and personal treatment" he receives from Ritchie Bros. that has earned his loyalty and trust. "Ritchie Bros. can offer a great selection of equipment but without the excellent treatment from their staff, we would not have made the great amount of deals that we have," he concludes.
Naturally, when Ritchie Bros. celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008, Ramon was quick to offer his congratulations. "We wish Ritchie Bros. 50 more years of success," he said, "with the certainty and hope that you don't change your style. We believe this has been the reason for your success over the last 50 years and in return, it has given us the perfect capacity to change our fleet from time to time. Congratulations, friends."