The expertise that turns a complicated export into a clean sale

What happens behind the scenes when used equipment crosses borders? Rob Trewick, UK Regional Operations Manager at Ritchie Bros., explains what it looks like from the yard.

A tractor leaving Britain for Ireland can be delayed by something almost invisible – a trace of soil beneath a wheel arch. Exporting agricultural machinery from the UK to the EU can involve strict biosecurity requirements and phytosanitary certification, with standards that leave little room for error. Wheels may have to come off. Engine covers removed. Inspectors search recesses for traces of dirt or plant material. A machine that sells in minutes can take three to four days to clear before it even reaches the border.

That is the reality Rob Trewick and his team at Maltby navigate every auction cycle. Around 10 events a year, approximately 2,500 lots each — and roughly 5,000 machine movements between equipment arriving and leaving again. “It’s very fast paced,” he says. “There’s not a lot of room for error.”

Building expertise no one handed us

As export requirements became part of the used equipment process, guidance for the industry was not always straightforward. The team at Maltby  built its knowledge through experience — working through requirements, contacting the relevant authorities, and developing a reliable process from the ground up.

That expertise now sits inside the operation as standard practice: advising on machine condition before export, handling documentation, and in many cases managing the compliance process on the customer’s behalf.

The same discipline runs through every transaction regardless of destination. Before any machine leaves the yard, it is checked for outstanding finance, stolen markers and the accuracy of its listed details. Documentation — titles, VAT and proof of export – is treated not as administration but as part of the customer experience.

Equipment for saleSponsored2023 Komatsu D51PX-24EO Crawler DozerMaltby, United Kingdom 9 daysView listing

Every buyer is different. The process has to match.

Around half to 60 per cent of lots sold at Maltby stay within the UK. Most international sales go to buyers in Europe, while a smaller share, typically five to ten per cent, travels to markets in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. Each group has different documentation requirements, logistics needs and risk profiles. The process adapts without losing precision or pace.

Last year, a 125-tonne excavator bound for Egypt had to be stripped and loaded across six containers — two flat-racks for the main body, four for the remaining components. The securing chains alone cost £7,000. The mechanics and yard team completed the job in three to four days, without a single issue. “A great example of everyone working together,” Trewick says.

Operations as the product

What buyers and sellers experience — the listing, the sale, the machine arriving where it should — is the visible surface of something much larger.

Inspections, logistics, documentation, export compliance, cross-border coordination: each part has to work precisely for the transaction to feel effortless.

And that is increasingly what operational expertise means in the used equipment market. It is not simply about moving a machine from A to B. It is about anticipating what could slow a transaction down, solving issues before they become problems, and giving customers confidence that everything is being handled.

The customers who come back do so because it did.

Equipment for saleSponsored2022 Kubota U36-4 Mini Excavator: <6.6tMaltby, United Kingdom 9 daysView listing

Ready to experience the Ritchie Bros. way?

Let us take the stress out of selling heavy equipment.

Contact our team today or explore what’s for sale at rbauction.co.uk.

See also

International Women’s Day: Women Driving Change at Ritchie Bros.