Mevas is a shortcut of Machinery Evaluation Service. The company has two main services. Most important is the inspection of used heavy machinery for potential buyers. The second activity is the valuation of heavy equipment for financial purposes. For merger and acquisitions or internal machinery sales an independent valuation is often required.
How came the idea to establish such service?
Mevas: Before Mevas was founded I worked for the major German Machinery dealer Zeppelin Baumaschinen. I bought and sold used heavy equipment. Often, we bought machines and trusted the seller’s description. However, in many cases the machines were not as good as pretended. The idea was born to offer an independent inspection service for everyone, involved in trading with used excavators, wheel-loaders and other machinery.
Where can you offer this service? Do you work in Germany only?
Mevas: In the early days I travelled a lot. In 2008 my wife complained I would just come home to mow the lawn and leave then for another inspection trip. I was going from France to Spain, to South-Africa and Russia. It was really a crazy time. Meanwhile we have almost 20 contracted engineers in many countries in Europe.
At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
Mevas: With an average number of 700 used machine inspections per year I believe we are the most important service provider in this specific sector. Due the Corona disease the work came to an abrupt stop. However, I think in the near future the service will be even more important since a buyer can stay at home and judge the condition of second-hand machinery without traveling.
What can you tell us about market trends?
Mevas: Construction machinery dealers had a couple of great years. They run from sales record to sales record. I think the market has reached saturation. Sales will stagnate. Due to reduced investments in industry in general, construction companies will also invest less in machines. But this is a good time for rental companies and also offers good opportunities for used equipment.
Are there innovations in your specific sector?
Mevas: We are currently testing applications for inspections using a mobile device. The inspector enters all the data in a handheld and they appear immediately on the reviewer’s screen. The challenge is to carry out the inspection on the construction site within the available, limited time span.
If someone wants to have a machine inspected, what is the average price for the service?
Mevas: Well, it all depends on machine size and location. For a standard machine such as a 25-ton excavator we can operate in most locations in Europe for a fee of approximately 700 Euro. This includes a detailed inspection report, photos, video and all travel expenses.