MUNICH, GERMANY - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world's largest auctioneer of heavy equipment, officially launched its powerful industry-leading, 21-language Web site (www.rbauction.com) at the bauma trade show in Munich, Germany April 19-25.

Millions of unique visitors already use the Ritchie Bros. web site annually, purchasing more than US$830 million of equipment online in 2009 alone. The new rbauction.com delivers the world's largest used equipment inventory, largest database of auction results and equipment specifications, and more features in more languages than any other equipment auction web site.

Key features of the new rbauction.com include:

1. Current auction inventory and equipment search now in 21 languages
   

   
   

2. Auction results now in 14 languages with equipment photos
   

   
   

3. Live online bidding service now in seven languages
   

   
   

4. Online bidding amounts and Auction Results in your preferred currency
   

   
   

5. Enhanced search functionality: find items by make, model, auction details, lot number or serial number
   

   
   

6. Zoomable, high-resolution equipment photos
   

   
   

7. Side-by-side equipment comparison tool: compare by make, model, usage, specifications, and auction
   

   
   

8. Fully functional account services in 14 languages, featuring saved searches, a personal Watchlist and customized email alerts

   
   

"I am glad that the Ritchie Bros. web site will soon also appear in Greek," said Timoleon Papadakis of Tripolis, Greece, who does not speak English and has been buying equipment at Ritchie Bros. auctions since 2003. "Being able to search for equipment in Greek will be very helpful for all Greek customers and will probably bring more. It will make it a lot easier to do business with Ritchie Bros. I hope they plan on having auctions in Greece soon."

"We serve a global market of equipment buyers and sellers; our goal is to provide as much information and as many services as possible to them in their own language," said Stephen Branch, Ritchie Bros. Vice President. "The new rbauction.com is a powerful tool for equipment users. Our customers have always been able to find the equipment they need at our auctions; now they can find more information in their language to make informed buying decisions. At the same time, sellers will benefit from increased exposure through rbauction.com and interest from a wider global bidding audience."

Branch continued: "Our company has a long history of innovation, from the development of the ramp style of equipment auction to the introduction of real-time internet bidding and now to the world's most comprehensive, multi-lingual used equipment Web site. We think our customers will be just as excited about the new rbauction.com as we are and we look forward to welcoming even more visitors from around the world to our Web site - and our auctions."