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26th September 2025
Having established itself as a trusted name in the agricultural auction world, Newline is now setting its sights on the plant and machinery sector. We spoke with Stuart Melville, Sales & Marketing Director, to hear how the business has evolved, what sets their platform apart, and where they’re headed next.
For those who might not know, can you give us a quick introduction to Newline and the services you provide?
“Newline is a specialist online and back-office auction platform built to meet the needs of traditional and hybrid auctioneers. We provide auctioneers and auction businesses with powerful, easy-to-use tools for running live, timed or online auctions, all supported by our dedicated team. Our services cover everything from streaming and bidding systems to lot cataloguing and bidder support.”
How did Newline first get involved in the auction industry?
“We started in 1983, founded by the late David Jones, by working closely with agricultural auctioneers who needed digital solutions without losing the personal feel of traditional sales. Our goal was to empower auction houses to retain their brand identity while going online, and that’s where our expertise began to take shape.”
How do you support auctioneers who may be new to online auctions or digital tools?
“We offer comprehensive onboarding, training and live support during sales. Our platform is intuitive, but we also provide tutorials, mock auctions and 1-to-1 guidance to ensure even the most traditional auctioneer feels confident.”
Can your platform handle hybrid auctions or livestreaming from remote locations?
“Absolutely. Our platform was built to support hybrid sales from day one. We’ve partnered with mobile connectivity providers and offer guidance on set-up for rural venues, while our streaming technology is optimised for lower-bandwidth environments to minimise lag or interruptions. Starlink has also been a game changer for rural communities and when combined with the robust networking solutions we use, it ensures high-quality audio and video streaming with stable bidding — whether at a farm, in the countryside or an industrial site.”
What strengths from your experience in agricultural auctions do you think translate well to plant and machinery sales?
“Both markets deal with high-value, specialist assets and often require buyer trust and familiarity. Our focus on clear presentation, robust live bidding and strong after-sale reporting all carry over seamlessly.
Many of our livestock auctioneers run plant & machinery sales and since COVID this has increasingly been done online using our platform, Auctionmarts.com, which has seen thousands of successful plant & machinery sales during this time.”
How has your platform helped agricultural auctioneers grow their sales, and how might that approach support plant and machinery auctioneers?
“There appears to be a trend toward timed auctions. Many of our agricultural auctioneers acknowledge that sale turnover has increased, alongside greater numbers of registered bidders and a reduction in labour and time costs.”
How does your system help auctioneers grow their buyer base or reach new audiences?
“We offer integrations with marketing tools and SEO-optimised auction pages. We work with customers to help them grow.”
Have you seen any emerging trends in the auction industry, particularly in agriculture or plant and machinery?
“Timed auctions are gaining momentum. Many of our auctioneers see a higher sale turnover and lower cost to put the sale together. In addition, a lot of sellers prefer this kind of sale for farm and estate auctions as there is less disruption and fewer security requirements at their property.”
What’s next for Newline – any upcoming features or developments auctioneers should watch for?
“We're developing a number of apps and enhanced features to target audiences in the UK and overseas, including Canada and America. Newline has an ambitious software roadmap, adding to our range of mobile applications to make life more efficient for our users — apps for staff, apps for sellers and buyers, and interesting use cases for AI in the auction sector.”
What regions or countries does Newline currently support and how has that network grown over time?
“We currently support clients across the UK, Ireland, Canada, America and New Zealand. Our reach is growing steadily as more auctioneers recognise the need for flexible digital tools. Our team is expanding, and we are recruiting actively overseas to join our International Account Manager.”
Can you share any success stories from auctioneers using your platform in different regions?
“There are many good news stories of our customers working closely in partnership with Newline to understand their pain points and find great solutions. For example, one husband-and-wife business needed to book in thousands of lots per monthly sale, taking 5–10 pictures per lot. This used to take days. We built a lot input and picture-taking app that saved them two days of work per sale. This was a huge win, and we continue to refine our apps to create more efficiencies and solve commercial and operational problems for our customers.”
What made you decide to expand into the plant and machinery market?
“With diseases such as Foot and Mouth, Blue Tongue and BSE affecting the livestock market, many traditional livestock auctioneers expanded into related auctions such as plant and machinery, general sales and sheep dog sales. We worked closely with them during COVID to provide a platform that seamlessly integrates with our back-office solution, or works as a stand-alone solution.”
Are there any specific needs or challenges in plant and machinery auctions that you're aiming to solve?
“Yes – especially around detailed asset information, compliance documentation and buyer trust for high-ticket items. Our platform supports media-rich listings, service records and more.
The main pain points in plant & machinery auctions are the time it takes to book lots in, and the collection of goods after the sale, invoicing and payments. We’ve made many improvements and continue to work on efficiencies and solutions to make this even better.”
How are you tailoring your platform or services to suit the plant and machinery sector?
“We’re adding features like spec sheets, multi-lot bundling and dynamic shipping estimates. We're also training our support teams specifically for this market.”
How can auctioneers in this sector benefit from being early adopters of your platform?
“Early adopters engage with Newline on their pain points and help shape the roadmap. When a pain point affects the whole sector and we build a solution, the early adopter is first to benefit. This kind of partnership creates a strong relationship between our customers and Newline.”
Curious to see how it all works? Request a free demo with Newline today and explore how their platform can elevate your plant and machinery auctions.
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