Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers last week broke ground on its new 107-acre permanent auction site in Butner, N.C., just north of Raleigh-Durham.

The Raleigh-Durham auction site will replace Ritchie Bros.’ 33-acre auction site in Statesville, N.C. Ritchie Bros. expects to conduct at least four unreserved public equipment auctions each year at the new site, which is scheduled for completion in mid 2012. Ritchie Bros. operates 42 other auction sites worldwide.

Site preparation by Branch Highways Inc. will begin immediately. Construction plans include developing 45 acres of the site and building a new 33,000-square-foot auction facility and a 16,000-square foot refurbishing building. The auction facility will feature an auction theater with seating capacity for 500 and a virtual ramp theater with seating capacity for 300. In the main auction theater, bidders remain seated in comfort while equipment being sold is driven across a ramp in front of them. In the virtual ramp theater, photos of stationary equipment items are projected onto a large screen in front of the bidders.

The new site offers highway visibility from Interstate 85 and access to major transportation routes and services, including restaurants and accommodations. Equipment will be displayed and made available for inspections at the auction site in the weeks leading up to each auction.

While the Raleigh-Durham site is being built, Ritchie Bros. will continue to conduct unreserved public auctions at its Statesville facility with the next auction scheduled for Sept. 28.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers is the world’s largest industrial auctioneer. It conducts hundreds of unreserved public auctions each year, selling a broad range of used and unused equipment, trucks and other assets utilized in the construction, transportation, agricultural, material handling, mining, forestry, petroleum and marine industries. Ritchie Bros. has more than 110 locations in more than 25 countries, including 43 auction sites worldwide. For more information, visit www.rbauction.com.