Why working with PET Machinery.com is a Win/Win situation for buyers and sellers alike

Why working with PET Machinery.com is a Win/Win situation for buyers and sellers alike…..

For almost three decades it’s been a story of success for PET Machinery, the first to market, identifying the opportunity to sell used PET machinery.

PET machinery’s founder, Anthony Thompson, recaps the story of the first PET machine he sold back in the early 1990s.  ‘It was a Nissei ASB650 – an old contact relay machine being sold by Constar at their UK plant in Sherburn-in-Elmet.   I was told the machine had been stored outside but under tarps at what was ominously called the ‘scrap yard’.  It was a typical August morning, raining heavily, and as I came around the main building was greeted with the sight of several ducks happily paddling around in the pool made by the collapsed tarpaulin.   A base cup applicator stood rusting a few yards away, perch for another duck which promptly flew off, annoyed by our intrusion.  Such was the demand back then for affordable PET bottle making equipment that I immediately agreed the purchase, ducks and all!   The machine itself was cleaned up, tested and subsequently shipped off to Kampala.’

Since that first venture Thompson and his co-director since 2008, Erik van Bommel, have sold machines to around 135 countries.

Thompson continues ‘We have had the satisfaction of helping many start-ups off the ground and many of these are now national or internationally recognised players in the business.   Our relationship with these companies has come full circle as they have now become our suppliers of used equipment.

‘To assist sales where local knowledge is essential, we have appointed agents or on occasion, set up offices in different regions, most notably PETAnkerChile Ltda.’

The internet has definitely changed things for the PET Machinery Industry.  It has become easier for buyers and sellers to connect and many manufacturers, particularly the larger multinationals with lots of potential equipment, have tried to exploit this by posting their own equipment online.  However, as many have discovered, listing the equipment is the easy bit.   Responding to the many (often fruitless) requests for information takes time, especially as many potential buyers require costs for dismantling, loading, packing, shipping, insurance, and subsequent start-up and training. Then comes the price negotiation – often very convoluted and finally, many overseas buyers need to pay via letter of credit or other fiscal means due to exchange rate controls.

“This is where we come in” says Van Bommel “we have been doing this for almost three decades now and have learned a tremendous amount in that time.  We can usually weed out the tyre kickers from the ‘real’ buyers and we can establish the ground rules to manage a smooth sale.

‘Unfortunately, sales margins aren’t what they used to be and typically we work on a tight percentage in order to move machines quickly for the sellers.   We still see many brokers hiking up the prices on equipment, including our own offerings, in the hope that a buyer will come along and pay a premium.  That is not our style.  Our suppliers appreciate that we are actively selling the equipment at close to base cost and of course this also benefits our buyers.  We can be very competitive because we run a very lean business and try in so far as possible to broker machines from Seller to Buyer.’

To further their service offering to the PET Industry and positioning themselves as a uniquely PET reseller, the company has recently invested in the launch of a new website. This extends their services to other dealers or direct sellers via a dedicated area of the site where dealers can add their equipment for sale, for free and take advantage of their sophisticated digital marketing tools to showcase their machines to a wider market.

Van Bommel comments ‘Our database is comprised of customers who have actually dealt with us in one way or another over the years and is constantly updated to ensure all the data is real.   So, it is a very valuable resource to us. The recent GDPR requirements allowed us to re-engage with clients old and new to establish whether they wished to remain on our database and as such receive our regular emails flyers. Nearly all respondents confirmed to remain which was very pleasing.’

It’s a win/win situation with the sellers benefiting from a professional marketing process and customers being assured they are dealing with an established and reputable brand in terms of reliability, investment control and logistics to ensure as safe a transaction as possible.

If you want further details or would like to meet up please contact us or email us at sales@petmachinery.com. If you are a seller and wish to list your equipment or need it valuing, please contact Erik at erik@petmachinery.com. (+34 676 986 962)