From humble beginnings in 1968, Aucor has grown into one of the most successful and experienced auction houses in southern Africa and the company is proudly celebrating its 50th birthday in 2018.
 
“This is an exciting time for Aucor to be celebrating its success and achievements over the past 50 years.  Looking back on the past five decades of the auction industry, I can honestly say that Aucor has stood the test of time with strong leadership and has built the reputation of delivering excellence across our brand,” says Fanie Bielderman, Senior Executive and spokesperson for Aucor.
 
Today, the company boasts a national footprint across South Africa, with five permanent auction sites servicing the country in various categories including vehicles; trucks, mining and construction; warehouse and loose assets; property and online auctions.  It also has representation in a number of other African territories including operations in Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana.
 
Currently, Aucor employs approximately 150 staff members across its major regions in Gauteng, Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Bloemfontein.
 
Aucor is proud to be known as Africa’s Auction Authority and has worked hard to establish its credibility and sustainability over its unmatched 50 years in business.  In an industry plagued by fly-by-nights and unreliability, Aucor has remained steadfast in its determination to offer the best service and most competitive auctions to its loyal customer base of major corporates, financial institutions, liquidators, business rescue practitioners and mining houses alike.
 
Fanie Bielderman acknowledges that the company has a rock-solid reputation for doing business by the book and that the business has grown because of its solid foundation: “Aucor’s years of diverse industry experience places us at the forefront of auctions within southern Africa.  We also acknowledge our valued and loyal customer base, stakeholders, industry partners and clients that have been a pivotal part in reaching this important milestone.  And not to forget our valued staff over the years for their contributions.”
 
At the heart of the Aucor business strategy is people.  Active investment in their employees and their skills development and career growth, is a top priority for Aucor. 
 
”In conjunction with SAIA (South African Institute of Auctioneers), we train and develop people from local communities, as well as our current staff members, to gain more and enhance current skills in order to assist them to make a successful career with the various sectors of aucitioneering,” adds Bielderman.
 
Aucor has a number of key focus areas for its 50th year.  Local job creation across the country is paramount for Aucor.  The company is constantly investigating the possibilities of opening new branches in smaller provinces, in which job creation and even ownership for the local community is a big focus.
 
”A key focus for our 50th year is to offer auction sites closer to people in smaller communities, thereby generating jobs and income earning capabilities for the local people,”  says Jacques van der Linde, Aucor Bloemfontein Managing Director.
 
Aucor will be announcing the launch of one of these sites in April.
 
Another key focus is to strengthen its already sterling standard of service.  “Thanks to the fact that we are 100% HDSA owned and that we’ve never wavered from conducting good, clean, sustainable business, allows us to differentiate ourselves distinctly from our competitors in SA.  This is strongly embedded in all that we do,”  van der Linde adds.
 
Aucor’s final focus for its milestone year is to take more auctions to more people.
 
“We aim to implement forward-thinking techonology that allows Aucor staff, buyers and sellers, the ability to experience an unmatched, seamless auction experience,” says van der Linde.
 
Bielderman adds that thanks to dynamic business model, they intent to continue offering a service that is credible, full of integrity and remains focussed on placing people at the centre of their business.
 
“Aucor has had its fair share of obstacles but our goal for the next 50 years is to be the absolute market leader and auction authority and to remain one of the preferred auction houses in the industry,”  ends Bielderman. “We are looking forward to renewed business growth and confidence .”