With a higher volume of lots in each international auction, Ritchie Bros. is highlighting the operational expertise and local teams that help buyers and sellers navigate increasingly complex international markets.
Ritchie Bros., a global leader in asset management and disposition, recorded an 18% year-over-year increase in the number of lots offered at auctions across its International Region between January and June 2026. With this growth, the company is placing the regional expertise and operational know-how behind every transaction at the center of its strategy to support customers during the second half of 2026.
This growth comes at a time when businesses across international markets are facing rising operating costs, economic uncertainty and increasing complexity in cross-border transactions. As a result, many are extending the working life of their machinery and delaying replacement decisions while they wait for more favorable market conditions.
In this environment, selling machinery is no longer simply about finding a buyer. It is about having a partner that understands the local market, manages every operational aspect - from inspections and logistics to customs procedures and documentation - and connects sellers with global demand safely and efficiently.
"A bigger marketplace only creates value if the operations behind it can support it," says Shane Eshuis, Vice President of Operations, Ritchie Bros. International. "Our customers do not just need access to buyers; they need people on the ground who know their region and handle all the complexity of the process. That is what operational excellence means to us, and that is why it becomes even more important as we continue to grow."
This capability is reflected most clearly in the work customers rarely see. From its Maltby site, Ritchie Bros. runs around ten auctions a year in the UK and, since the country left the European Union, every machine sold to European buyers must undergo phytosanitary certification. This means dismantling it and inspecting it thoroughly to ensure that not even the slightest trace of soil remains before it can cross the border. The team developed this expertise in-house and now manages much of this process on behalf of its customers. Last year, that expertise was demonstrated with the shipment of a 125-ton excavator to Egypt. The machine was dismantled, packed into six containers, secured with chains worth GBP 7,000 and shipped in just three or four days.
esterlinas y enviada en un plazo de tan solo tres o cuatro días.
"It is a very dynamic market and there is very little margin for error," explains Rob Trewick, Regional Operations Manager for the UK and Ireland. "This project was an excellent example of how all our teams work together in a coordinated way."
The combination of local knowledge and operational control also makes it possible to connect sellers with buyers far beyond their domestic market. From its customs facility near Madrid, Ritchie Bros. can receive machinery from anywhere in the world and sell it without the need for a formal import, making Spain a strategic gateway between continents, particularly to Latin America.
The largest project undertaken by the company in Spain began with approximately 4,000 machines from a construction program in North Africa. The machinery arrived at the port of Cadiz through 21 vessel calls, was then transported to Madrid and sold over a period of 18 months to buyers in nearly 90 countries, reaching a value of close to EUR 18 million.
"A project of this scale requires enormous coordination," says Fergus Garrett, Regional Operations Manager for Spain. "Our Operations team is one of the most experienced in the entire organization; the average tenure of its members is around ten years. That experience enables us to stay very close to our customers and take care of every detail so they do not have to."
This release launches a series of publications that will run throughout the third quarter of 2026, in which Ritchie Bros. will show how it applies operational excellence across its different international regions, paving the way for Super September, the company's flagship annual sales campaign.
It is the time of year when all that operational capability is at its fullest, enabling sellers to reach the largest possible number of international buyers. The full Super September auction calendar will be published later this summer, giving sellers enough time to plan their consignments and buyers an early view of the equipment coming to market.
To sell with Ritchie Bros., get started at https://www.rbauction.es/selling/sell-now https://www.rbauction.es/selling/sell-now
