Sign in Sign up
Distress & Recovery · ⚙️ Used Equipment Dealer

A manufacturing company just liquidated. The equipment is available — for now.

Industrial liquidations create a narrow window where high-value equipment is available at pre-auction prices — but only for dealers who reach the administrator first. The liquidation publishes in the SHAB the morning it happens. From that point, you have 0–21 days before the inventory is parcelled out or sold at auction to the highest bidder. Dealers who monitor the SHAB daily buy at direct-purchase prices. Everyone else bids against cherry-picked leftovers.

Sign up See all 27 roles →
The timing advantage

Be the first to know. Be the first to call.

For used equipment dealers, the deal is made in the first days — not the first weeks. Administrators prefer a single direct-purchase offer over the complexity of running an auction. If you call before anyone else and arrive with a cash offer, you bypass the auction entirely. That margin difference is the business. The SHAB liquidation notice is your starting gun — and most dealers aren't watching for it.

1
Administrators want to close fast — before the auction process begins
A liquidator's mandate is to maximise recovery and close the estate. Running a full auction takes time and coordination they often prefer to avoid. A dealer who calls the morning the notice publishes and offers a cash purchase for the full inventory can close the deal in days. That speed premium is real — and it only exists if you call first.
2
The company profile tells you what equipment to expect before you visit
A mechanical engineering firm in St. Gallen and a food processing plant in Zurich produce very different asset profiles. The SHAB filing includes company name, sector, and registered address — enough to pre-assess the likely inventory and arrive at the facility with a credible offer range already prepared. That preparation signals professionalism and accelerates trust with the administrator.
3
The 21-day window is a hard deadline, not an estimate
Once an auction is scheduled, the economics shift entirely. You're no longer negotiating with a motivated administrator — you're bidding against every competitor dealer, industrial buyer, and private party who reads auction listings. The pre-auction direct purchase window is typically 0–21 days from publication. After that, it's open market and the margin disappears into the bidding process.
Your signals

Which SHAB events matter for Used Equipment Dealer

Two SHAB event types reliably precede industrial equipment becoming available for purchase. Both indicate a company exiting operations — one by formal liquidation, one under financial distress that frequently leads there.

🏭 Liquidation
HIGH SIGNAL
A SHAB liquidation notice means the company is formally winding down and its assets will be disposed of. For equipment dealers, this is the primary event — machinery, tooling, vehicles, and production infrastructure will be released into the market. The administrator is typically appointed the same day the notice publishes and is immediately motivated to receive purchase offers. The first call that arrives with a credible offer gets first access to the inventory list.
⚠️ Distress Signal
HIGH SIGNAL
A formal distress filing — capital loss or overindebtedness disclosure — frequently precedes liquidation by weeks or months. For equipment dealers, it is an early-warning signal: this company is likely to wind down, and its assets will come to market. Reaching out to management now, before the formal liquidation is published, positions you as the first buyer of record when the decision to sell is made. You arrive as a solution, not a cold call.
Real scenario
Liquidation — Helix Manufacturing AG in St. Gallen — Day 1 vs Day 30

A liquidation notice hits the SHAB. Two equipment dealers see it. One calls that morning. The other picks it up three weeks later from an auction listing.

8:04 AM
The SHAB publishes. Liquidation for Helix Manufacturing AG in St. Gallen. Mechanical engineering firm, 12 employees, registered since 2009.
8:15 AM
Your Founders & Movers brief lands. Used Equipment Dealer score: 94. AI angle attached: "Mechanical engineering profile — likely CNC lathes, milling equipment, precision tooling. Administrator appointed. Pre-auction window open."
9:30 AM — Day 1
You identify the liquidation the morning it publishes, assess the company type and likely asset profile, and contact the administrator immediately to make an offer or get first look at the inventory.
Day 30 — If you wait
A competitor dealer who also monitors SHAB already visited the facility, bought the best pieces at pre-auction prices, and listed them. You're bidding against cherry-picked leftovers.
Why the window closes

Day 1 vs Day 30 — the difference is the deal

Day 1
Day 1 — You call today
  • The administrator has just been appointed and has not yet engaged an auctioneer. A direct-purchase offer saves them time, cost, and coordination. They will take your call.
  • You've assessed the company profile before you arrive — mechanical engineering, food processing, printing — and you come with an informed offer range, not a blank sheet. That credibility closes deals.
  • The full inventory is intact. Best pieces haven't been removed, set aside, or sold individually. You negotiate on complete equipment sets, which maximises your resale margin.
  • No competing bidders are on site. The administrator's default is the first credible offer — not the highest auction price. Speed and cash are the deal.
Day 30
Day 30 — You call next month
  • An auction has been scheduled or has already concluded. You're now a bidder, not a direct buyer. The economics are entirely different.
  • The best pieces — the CNC machines, the late-model tooling, the high-resale items — were identified early and either sold directly or reserved. What remains is the balance.
  • Competitor dealers who monitored the SHAB have already visited, purchased, and begun listing inventory. Some of it is already in their showroom.
  • The administrator has no reason to offer preferential terms. The auction process protects them legally and commercially. Your direct-purchase leverage is gone.
Reach out with reason

Not "I help companies like yours." A specific reason to call.

SHAB events give you a real, specific, verifiable reason to reach out. That changes the conversation from cold outreach to warm intelligence — you're not prospecting, you're responding to a public filing that happened this morning and you have an offer ready.

❌ Generic cold outreach
Subject: Used industrial equipment purchasing

Hi,

We purchase used industrial equipment for resale. If you are managing a liquidation or have surplus equipment available, we can provide quick valuations and purchase offers.

Best regards
✅ SHAB-triggered with AI angle
Subject: Helix Manufacturing AG liquidation — equipment available?

Saw the Helix Manufacturing AG liquidation in St. Gallen this morning. Based on their business profile, I'd expect CNC lathes and milling equipment. We can visit within 48 hours and provide a cash purchase offer for the full inventory — no auction needed. Is the equipment still available?
Your Used Equipment Dealer feed, scored and delivered every morning.
Sign up and be live in under 3 minutes.
Sign up →
Other roles

See similar role presets

Founders & Movers has 27 pre-configured roles. These work similarly to Used Equipment Dealer — overlapping signals, the same timing urgency, and complementary mandates when a company winds down.

🔨 Auctioneer → 🗂️ Insolvency Administrator → 🔄 Turnaround Consultant →
See all 27 role presets →
Back to roles
← All 27 role presets
Ready to start?
View plans & pricing →