IN A very timely move, vehicle and industrial asset auctioneer Manheim is investing in a multimillion-dollar way to ensure the protection of customer vehicles while on its premises.

Announced less than a day before the latest hailstorm hit the east coast, Manheim’s plan to build protective canopies over its assets was based on the December 2018 hailstorm event.

Now it has awarded a contract to MakMax Australia to design and build large-scale protective canopies at its auction sites in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Work starts this quarter.

The canopies will protect vehicles onsite from damage during extreme weather events like the recent hailstorm that wrecked cars from Melbourne to Brisbane.

The decision to build the canopies was triggered after the hailstorm that impacted Sydney in December 2018 and which resulted in $675 million worth of property and asset insurance claims.

Manheim spokesman Mathew McAuley said the infrastructure investment in order to protect their customers’ vehicles will cost approximately $5 million.

He said that the structures will have the ability to accommodate and protect more than 6000 vehicles across Manheim sites in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Manheim’s CEO Charles Cumming said: “This project represents a significant investment in our facilities and, combined with our existing undercover storage areas, will ensure Manheim can provide extensive protection for our customer’s assets.

“The large structures will provide sellers with confidence their vehicles will be protected while onsite, regardless of whether the vehicle is on display to the public or in storage awaiting allocation to an auction,” he said.

Manheim said MakMax was selected as the supplier of choice because of experience and credentials in this work. MakMax has built numerous structures around Australia for automotive OEMs and third-party logistics companies.

By Neil Dowling