Everything from welding robots and forklifts to ladders and buckets of wrenches goes on sale Wednesday as auctioneers liquidate the remains of the former Chrysler stamping plant in Twinsburg.
TWINSBURG, Ohio -- Everything from welding robots and forklifts to ladders and buckets of wrenches goes on sale Wednesday as auctioneers liquidate the remains of the former Chrysler stamping plant in Twinsburg.
"It's mostly the support equipment," said Taso Sofikitis, president of Maynards Industries Ltd.'s U.S. operations. Maynards, a Canadian liquidation company, bought the Twinsburg plant earlier this year from the company handling the parts of Chrysler that the automaker abandoned when it emerged from bankruptcy last year.
The auction is geared mostly to industrial companies looking to pick up used equipment. But with more than 3,100 lots of items for sale, there really is something for almost anyone willing to take a look.
For example, Lot No. 3092, 24 Rubbermaid trash cans, may be of interest. Or there's Lot No. 2027, a Craftsman shop vacuum. Or maybe you'd be interested in Lot No. 845, a set of CB radios.
If you go
What: Auction of used equipment at Chrysler's former stamping plant in Twinsburg.
When: Wednesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. until each day's lots are sold.
Where: The vacant plant, 2100 Aurora Road, Twinsburg.
Bidding: The auction is open to the public. Or you can register to bid online here.
Terms: Bids must be paid by the end of the day with cash, cashier's check, wire transfer or some corporate checks. No personal checks or credit cards. On-site bidders will also pay a 13.5 percent premium for any item they buy. Online bidders pay a 16 percent premium.
Maynards has already sold most of Twinsburg's stamping presses, the huge machines that would bend sheet metal into car hoods, door panels and other auto parts. Three presses remain, but Sofikitis said they won't be part of the auction. Maynards also is looking to sell the 2.2 million-square-foot plant and the 167 acres on which it sits.
CB Richard Ellis is handling the sale of the plant property. Dave Ford, a Cleveland-based industrial real estate specialist for the firm, said clearing out the plant through the auction is an important step to bringing new jobs to the site.
"Once the auction's done, we'll have large blocks of space available for manufacturing and warehousing," Ford said. He added that one tenant is not likely to fill up what Chrysler left behind, but that several clients have expressed interest in taking huge portions of the plant's space.
"We've got good cooperation with the city. We've gotten a number of leads from them that we've followed through on," Ford said.
Chrysler turned the Twinsburg plant over to Maynards in July, ending more than 50 years of operations there. Set up to supply Twinsburg plants in Ohio, Michigan and on the East Coast, the plant became more isolated over the years as Chrysler shut manufacturing plants.
Last year, as Chrysler headed into bankruptcy, workers at the plant agreed to concessions on work rules, medical costs and retiree benefits under the promise that Chrysler would consider adding new products to the facility. But the company's plans already called for the plant's closure.
Summit County is fighting Chrysler in bankruptcy court, saying the company owes about $8 million in taxes. The county gave the automaker tax breaks worth that much under the promise that Chrysler would keep hundreds of workers employed.
The county has argued that Chrysler broke that pledge by closing the plant. Chrysler responded by saying that Ohio phased out its personal property tax, so the automaker got no benefit from the tax breaks in the two years leading up to the plant's closure. The bankruptcy court in New York that is handling the case will hold a hearing on the issue Thursday.