If you are the insolvency administrator or the special-situations fund running this case, your job is to maximise what is recovered. Forced liquidation returns 30-50% of market value; an orderly sale to qualified buyers, 75-90%. The difference is the process, not the asset.

In the insolvencies, restructurings and business closures you manage, the pressure of the timetable often forces rapid liquidations that destroy recoverable value. A well-structured operation — a prior valuation, intelligent lotting, multi-channel marketing and qualified buyers — can double or treble the final outcome, without a single asset changing.

Capital Appraisal manages end-to-end structured liquidation processes: an initial valuation under RICS Red Book (with a separate calculation of OLV and FLV), technical preparation of the assets, a multi-channel remarketing strategy (specialist industrial auctions, direct sale to qualified buyers, a global network), logistical coordination of dismantling and transport, and auditable phase-by-phase reporting of results. The full service line is documented in Asset Recovery and Sale.

For insolvency administrators we issue reports that meet the requirements of the insolvency process, including a well-founded justification of the sale strategy. For special situations funds, we optimise the exit timetable with visibility over real demand in the secondary market. For corporations renewing their asset base, we manage the transition without interrupting plant operations.

Related sector Private Equity & M&A — when the liquidation forms part of a corporate transaction.

Operational process

The six phases of a structured liquidation

The full process runs between 60 and 180 days depending on volume and logistical complexity. Capital Appraisal manages the six phases with a single point of contact, maintaining auditable documentary traceability throughout the cycle.

  1. Initial valuation · OLV + FLV

    On-site inspection, complete technical inventory, separate calculation of Orderly Liquidation Value (a 6-12 month scenario) and Forced Liquidation Value (a 30-90 day scenario). Output: an expected value range by scenario and a recommendation of the optimal strategy.

  2. Intelligent lotting

    We define how many lots there are and how the assets are grouped. A complete production line is worth more sold whole than broken up. A heterogeneous vehicle fleet sells better by sub-fleets. The decision depends on the asset, not the timetable.

  3. Multi-channel marketing and data room

    Specialist industrial auctions, an in-house database of buyers qualified by sector, international B2B platforms (NetBid, BidSpotter, Surplex and equivalents) and direct outreach. A data room per lot with a technical record, photography and documentation. A coordinated timetable.

  4. Negotiation and closing by lot

    Receipt of offers, the buyer's technical due diligence, a sale contract per lot, documentary management of the transfer (CMR, certificates of origin, invoice, registration where applicable). Coordination with the insolvency administrator or the client depending on the procedure.

  5. Dismantling and logistics

    We coordinate technical disconnection (electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic), in-plant dismantling, packaging and transport to the buyer's destination. This removes operational risk for the seller and drastically reduces the friction of each transaction.

  6. Auditable reporting and closing of the file

    A final report with results by lot, a comparison against the initial OLV/FLV, complete documentary traceability and accountability. Designed for defence before an insolvency administrator, a commercial court, a creditors' committee or the client's auditor.

Secondary market data

Figures for the industrial secondary market

Ranges observed in operations completed over the last 24 months. The difference between an orderly liquidation and a forced one explains most of the value captured or destroyed.

Recovery · forced liquidation
30-50%
Recovery · orderly liquidation
75-90%
FLV timeframe
30-90 d
OLV timeframe
6-12 m
Countries with active buyers
15+
Typical lots · whole plant
8-25
Qualified buyers · database
4,500+
Sale success rate · OLV
85-95%
Regulatory framework

Regulation applicable to industrial liquidation processes

Law 22/2003 · Insolvency Act · TRLC
The Consolidated Text of the Insolvency Act (RDL 1/2020). It defines the phases of insolvency proceedings, the realisation of the estate and the duties of the insolvency administrator. The independent valuation of the asset base is a recurring input to the art. 75 report and the liquidation plan.
RICS Red Book · OLV / FLV
The methodological standard that defines the value bases applicable to liquidation: Orderly Liquidation Value (an orderly sale, 6-12 months) and Forced Liquidation Value (a forced sale, 30-90 days). The report states both figures and the applicable basis depending on the scenario.
EU Regulation 2015/848
The European regulation on cross-border insolvency proceedings. Applicable when the debtor has operations in several EU countries — a valuation under RICS Red Book is recognised in any European proceeding, avoiding re-valuations by jurisdiction.
Bank of Spain · REO portfolio
The accounting regulation for Spanish credit institutions with recovered assets (REO). It requires periodic independent valuation and specific provisions. Applicable when the managed liquidation forms part of a bank portfolio.
Voluntary Auctions Act
The Spanish regime for notarial auctions applicable to the forced sale of industrial assets. Capital Appraisal coordinates with the notary and a specialist auction house when this is the optimal realisation format.
CMR · international transport
The Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road. Applicable to the dismantling and delivery phase to the buyer. Capital Appraisal manages the CMR documentation when the buyer is international.
Representative examples

Three completed processes

Representative operations from the last 24 months (anonymised data — the sector, the size range, the timeframe and the outcome are verifiable under audit).

Context Sector Gross portfolio Recovery Timeframe Strategy
Cessation of activity Automotive €23.6M ~82% 5 m OLV · 14 lots · buyers in 7 countries
Insolvency · realisation of the estate Metallurgy €11.2M ~64% 9 m Court auction + direct post-auction sale
REO portfolio · bank Logistics €42.1M ~78% 11 m Multi-channel remarketing · 6 sub-portfolios

Figures rounded. "Gross portfolio" = the initial RICS valuation at the start of the engagement. "Recovery" = the percentage of the initial value effectively realised on sale, net of commissions and logistics costs.

Key benefits

  • Two figures, OLV (Orderly Liquidation Value · orderly sale) vs FLV (Forced Liquidation Value · forced sale) — the difference can be twofold or threefold
  • Global network of qualified industrial buyers
  • End-to-end management of the sale cycle — a single point of contact from valuation to delivery
  • Complete documentary traceability, defensible before an insolvency administrator, court or auditor
  • Coordination of logistics, technical dismantling and transport to the buyer's destination

Who it is for

Companies under restructuring or ceasing activity
Insolvency and court-appointed administrators
Special situations (distressed) and alternative lending funds
Corporations renewing their asset base that need to sell the previous one

Need to know the real value of your assets?

Request your valuation. First contact, scope and fees with no obligation, under the RICS Red Book standard.

No obligation · RICS-regulated firm · European coverage