AuctionsPlus

AuctionsPlus is a service provider to the rural community offering real-time Internet Auctions. AuctionsPlus allows commodity transaction, reserve price setting and legal change of ownership without the seller, buyer or product having to come together physically at the time of the sale. AuctionsPlus Pty Limited started in 1986 as Computer Aided Livestock Marketing (CALM). CALM was established as a Section 16 Committee of the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation (AMLC) and commenced trading on 1 July 1987. During a restructure of the AMLC during 1996, CALM was separated from the AMLC and formed into a new company - CALM Services Pty Limited. In 2000, CALM Services changed its name to AuctionsPlus Pty Limited. The company was originally started to provide electronic exchange of ownership of livestock and a reliable price discovery system for the producer. Over the past twenty five years the AuctionsPlus auctioning system has been used to sell more than just livestock, showing the system's ability to adapt to different products and selling environments. AuctionsPlus did not have an Internet presence until 1998. Prior to that, access to the AuctionsPlus network was via an Intranet with dial-up access for anyone in Australia using a single telephone number and modem. Computers in those early days were DOS-based "Green Screens" and not at all graphical in their presentation. A Windows based application was released in the mid-1990s before AuctionsPlus developed its software into an Internet ready system working on all types of computer platforms. The auctions still used the original 1986 programming with updated user interfaces until a new auction platform was released in 2011. AuctionsPlus programmers have written application software for a range of applications that have operated on the AuctionsPlus network. The major application for our software has been electronic trading (auctions and a bid and offer marketing system). Apart from our core business of livestock auctioning, AuctionsPlus has also over the past twenty five years developed application software to electronically transmit information or sell the following products: Sheepskin auctions Grain auctions - bid and offer marketing systems CALM Market Intelligence for distribution of time critical market data, reports and commentaries AuctionsPlus Market Comments CALM Bulletin Board for the purpose of distributing messages to individual users or groups of users (Closed User Groups) for all CALM users on products for sale, products wanted or any matter of general information Queensland Dairy Industry Authority Milk Lease Auctions Australian Wool Corporation (AWC) Flock Reduction Scheme The AWC Flock Reduction Scheme in 1991 involved preparing software and administering operations. Some 11,000 registrations and 23,000 disposal applications were processed in a six month period. All applications for disposal had to be retrieved electronically off the (then) CALM network by agents. Virtually every agent throughout Australia secured online access. Cheques totaling $42 million in payments were processed through the system and a range of management reports were automatically prepared from the software. The CALM network was critical to the successful administration and operation of this scheme.