Asset Disposition Done Right
Every day, factories close. Machinery, inventory, and support equipment needs to find their way to a new home. The difference between a good outcome and a disappointing one almost always comes down to who’s running the process.
When excess assets need to be monetized, whether it’s a single machine, a full plant, or everything in between, we move quickly. We identify what you have, value it against real world transaction data, and present it to the buyers who are most likely to pay full market value. Not a generic auction list. Not a fire sale. The right buyers, in the right channels, globally.
We give clients a clear set of sale options:
- Outright purchase: When speed and certainty matter most, we’ll buy the assets and take the risk off your plate.
- Commission Auction Sale: When maximizing competitive bidding is the right move, we run a professional public auction with global reach.
- Turn-key Sale: When the assets are best sold as a complete operation, we identify strategic buyers who want the whole package, often at a meaningful premium to piecemeal sale value.
Whichever path makes the most sense, our job is always the same: get you to the best outcome, faster, with no surprises along the way.
Auction Proven Process
Meet
Initial meeting and on-site inspection
Engage
Agreement signed, process kicks off
Prepare
Site setup, cataloguing, and global marketing
Auction
Pre-auction inspection and auction day
Payment
Asset removal and auction settlement
Case Study: Intellipharmaceutics (Toronto, ON)
Endurance: When the deal almost dies on the final morning.
In November 2024, KPMG engaged Workingman Capital to sell the assets of Intellipharmaceutics, an FDA and Health Canada-approved pharmaceutical manufacturer. The mandate required that we monetize and empty a highly customized facility within a 90-day window that included the December holiday season.
We ran a parallel path: a public auction scheduled for January 14, 2025, alongside an En-Bloc sale process targeting strategic industry buyers. The auction track is the safety net, it will always produce a result. The en-bloc track is the unicorn, it can produce a far better outcome, but it almost never happens or closes in time.
Here’s how this one unfolded:
- Wednesday, November 18, 2024: Engagement signed with KPMG.
- Thursday, November 19, 2024: Detailed lot list, descriptions, and photos completed. Global campaign launched.
- Saturday, December 14, 2024: First inquiries from strategic buyers about acquiring the entire facility en-bloc.
- Tuesday, December 24, 2024 (Christmas Eve): Formal Letter of Interest received for the entire facility. Ten working days before the auction.
- Friday, January 10, 2025: Deal Closing deadline. Buyer, KPMG, the landlord, and Workingman fully engaged with counsel. The buyer wanted to keep operating in the leased facility, a layer of complexity that could have killed the deal on its own.
On the morning of that final day, our own counsel expressed doubt the deal would close due to last-minute tax wrinkles.
That single day, 69 emails were exchanged across 16 people. We got it done.
A closed factory was reopened. A new lease was signed. A buyer kept operating, a landlord kept their tenant, and a complex creditor mandate was satisfied, all without ever ringing the auction bell.
Why this case matters
En-bloc sales during an active auction process are unicorns. They rarely come together. They never come together by giving up at 5pm on the last day before the holidays.
One of our core values is Endurance. We don’t stop until the work is done: after hours, weekends, holidays, it doesn’t matter. The Intellipharmaceutics deal wasn’t an exception to how we work. It’s an example of how we always work.
Case Study: ACR Fuller (Surplus to Ongoing Operations)
When ACR Fuller had surplus equipment at their Nisku, Alberta division, they didn’t have time for a drawn-out process — they needed someone who could get on the ground, get the assets to market, and convert them to cash without disrupting their ongoing operations. Here’s how the engagement unfolded:
- Wednesday, March 9, 3:00pm: Signed contract in hand.
- Monday, March 14, 8:00am: Boots on the ground in Alberta with our local auction setup crew.
- Thursday, March 17, 7:00pm: Marketing live: descriptions, photos, and videos published.
- Wednesday, April 13, 10:00am: Live webcast auction day.
- Friday, April 29, 5:00pm: Six-figure+ cash proceeds in the client’s hands.
From signed contract to cash deposited: 51 days. Across three time zones from our Toronto office. With a full marketing build, professional cataloguing, and a live global auction in between.
This is what we mean when we say we move quickly without cutting corners. It’s the level of execution our clients expect on every engagement, regardless of location, complexity, or timeline pressure.
Case Study: Industrial REIT (Tenant Move-Out)
An industrial REIT found itself in a familiar bind: a former tenant had vacated, leaving behind a factory full of equipment the REIT had no use for, no expertise in selling, and no time to deal with. Every day the building sat full was another day of lost rental income, and they had a hard deadline to get the facility cleaned out and back to market.
We were brought in to make the problem disappear.
We evaluated the assets, made a single offer to purchase everything on the floor, and took ownership of the entire problem including saleable equipment, scrap, and garbage. From there, we ran a parallel disposition: high-value items moved through targeted private sales, mid-tier equipment sold for scrap, and the remainder was hauled away.
The result: the REIT met their deadline with a fully cleaned facility ready to lease, recovered value they hadn’t expected to recover, and avoided the operational headache of running a sale process they weren’t equipped to manage.
A clean exit, on their timeline, with cash in their pocket, and one less thing on their leasing team’s to-do list.
FAQs for Buyers
Most of our sales are online (timed or webcast) auctions you can bid in from anywhere, and some items are offered for immediate sale outside of a timed auction. Every listing shows its format, start and end times, and full terms, so check the specific auction page. If you’re not sure where to start, call us, we’re glad to talk you through it.
Yes, and we encourage it. Typically there is a full day for inspection the day before the auction. Depending on the situation sometimes we can schedule on-site inspections by appointment, and for out-of-town buyers we’ll arrange a remote video walkthrough. We’d rather you see exactly what you’re buying than have any surprises later.
We primarily accept wire transfers, where applicable, e-transfers are also acceptable. Buyers can also make a direct deposit at any Royal Bank of Canada to our account. Payment is due in full the day after the auction, and equipment is only released once full payment has cleared. Exact terms are listed for each auction.
Removal is the buyer’s responsibility, and we make it straightforward, we’ll provide the removal window, site contact, and access details. We typically recommend riggers and freight companies we know and trust. Anyone working onsite for removal must provide safety and insurance documentation acceptable to us and our client. Unsafe work will be stopped.
No, all lots are sold to the highest bidder. And yes, we welcome buyers worldwide, we market our equipment globally and regularly sell across borders. Just note that shipping, export, duties, and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility, and we’re happy to point you in the right direction.
FAQs for Sellers
Absolutely, that’s what we do. Whether it’s a single machine surplus to your operation or an entire facility, give us a call. We’ll learn about your situation, talk through your options, and recommend the best way to get you the most for your assets. Initial consultations are free, confidential, and no-obligation.
Both, and we’ll recommend whatever serves you best. In many cases we can purchase your assets outright for a fast, clean exit, or we can sell on your behalf to maximize the final value. Sometimes we’ll find a single buyer for everything in a turn-key sale. We’ll lay out the trade-offs openly so you can choose.
Faster than most people expect. Many of our auctions are conducted within 30 days of us arriving onsite. When the situation calls for it, we move quickly, boots on the ground, marketing live, and the sale completed in a matter of weeks. The exact timeline and payment terms depend on your situation and the sale method, and we’ll spell both out clearly up front.
Ultimately the buyers determine what the equipment is worth on auction day. We base our numbers on real market data from actually selling equipment like yours, not guesswork. We consider the make, model, age, condition, and current demand, and because we’re in this market every day, our read is grounded in what buyers will truly pay. You’ll get an honest valuation, not an inflated one to win your business. We’re very good and making sure the right people in the world know about your assets.
We promote your equipment to the right buyers, locally, across North America, and around the world, with detailed descriptions, professional photos and video, our buyer database, and targeted outreach to companies who actually want what you’re selling. Getting it in front of the right people is how we drive competition and the best price.