After celebrating its 30th anniversary, CR3 is experiencing a period of exciting growth and sustainable solutions.

In its three decades of business, CR3 has undergone a change in identity. Originally the company was known as Contract Resources, then it became CR Asia Group. CR3 represents the third iteration of the company, with three decades of operations behind it, operating across three core skills – energy efficiency, engineering excellence, and sustainable solutions.

“These skills have solidified CR3’s reputation as a leading energy engineering solutions provider operating throughout 18 countries, with permanent bases in Singapore, Thailand, India, and Malaysia.

It is a foundation CR3 intends to build on while pursuing future opportunities in new markets and assisting our customers’ transition to a low-carbon economy. The company’s new brand identity comes at a time when businesses in a variety of industries are pursuing greater energy efficiency and lower carbon footprints. The new brand connects CR3’s past experience with these future opportunities.

“Since we started in Singapore on 4th May 1991, we have grown our business to service 18 active markets with permanent facilities in Thailand, India, Malaysia, and Singapore,” says David Young, Group Business Development Manager for CR3. “As we continue to grow, we will focus even more on developing our people, technology, and systems to deliver safer, faster, and more efficient solutions.”

Last year CR3 marked its 30th anniversary by planting 30 trees at each of its locations, commemorating the company’s three decades with one of the best and most economical ways to help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

 Champions of Innovation

While CR3 has a proud history behind it, the company is not resting on those laurels. It is forward-facing and searching for new ideas and solutions that will open up opportunities for CR3’s future.

“Our Innovation Champions are passionate about improving the way we work,” Young says. “Our employees are open to new ideas and will help foster and facilitate CR3’s innovation programs in each region. Our innovation program is designed to capture and develop new ideas in collaboration with all stakeholders by leveraging the business and social networks of all employees.”

One such innovation has been the application of automated technology to improve productivity, including advanced automated technology for heat exchanger maintenance.

“Our advanced automated technology for heat exchanger maintenance along with our highly skilled staff and excellent project management facilitated a successful turnaround of a petrochemical plant in Thailand recently,” Young tells us. “By using our superior technology for Internal Bundle Cleaning, we completed the heat exchanger work in a fraction of the time it takes with other conventional cleaning methods. The client recognised our team for their outstanding work and leak-free start-up & presented them with an award.”

It is not the only award-winning innovation CR3 has to its name. The company’s Hydraulic Drum Tipper was recently awarded a silver medal by Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council Singapore under their Innovation category.

The catalyst handling innovation is capable of lifting up to four drums of various weights and sizes to deliver contents into loading hoppers or bulk bins safely & efficiently. The WSH Innovation Awards recognised work teams for their innovative solutions to improve safety & health standards in the workplace.

“This is the first year we’ve participated in this annual event, and we are delighted to be recognised for our innovative solutions to improve the safety of catalyst handling, giving us a strong impetus to continue our path of innovation,” Young says.

Along with its new name, CR3 is sporting a new logo in vibrant green, highlighting the importance of sustainability to its target markets.

“CR3 is engaging a sustainability expert to support our commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases from our operation,” Young says. “We pledge our support to contribute to the transition of a net-zero carbon world by 2050. We are exploring several initiatives, including using renewable energy to power our offices and workshops, transitioning to cleaner fuels for our machines, continuing to invest in the most energy-efficient equipment, and incorporating digital solutions to streamline our business operations and reduce the need for travel. Together, we can combat climate change to protect the planet and secure a sustainable future.”

Continuous Improvement

To continue on the path towards that sustainable future, CR3 is engaged in a huge process of expansion and investment.

The firm is investing over MYR 9 million in Malaysia in response to being awarded several term contracts, including the daily maintenance and turnaround services for the integrated refinery and petrochemical complex in Pengerang.

CR3 will bring to bear new automated catalyst handling and industrial cleaning equipment and a 125-ton bundle puller for performing heat exchanger maintenance, representing some of the recent additions to CR3’s fleet to enhance safety and improve efficiency.

“Our Pengerang Site Office will become a centre for technical training to develop and continuously improve the skills of the local workforce to support the facility for the long term,” Young explains.

CR3 has also been hiring in India to support additional term contracts at the world’s largest refinery complex.

“Our comprehensive main-tenance teams are improving the asset reliability and equipment uptime of the export-oriented refinery, through total plant maintenance,” says Young.

CR3 has built a state-of-the-art workshop and training centre in Jamnagar to support the long-term contracts we have at refineries in India. These facilities are focussed on building trade-based skills within the local community and multiskilling existing employees to improve efficiency.

The firm has also been awarded a five-year term contract for site-wide chemical decontamination services at an integrated refinery and petrochemical complex in Malaysia, adding to CR3’s existing ARDS (Atmospheric Residue Desulphurisation) catalyst handling and daily maintenance and turnaround contracts at the same facility.

CR3 has partnered with ZymeFlow Decon Technology for over 15 years to provide the exclusive Zymeflow Process to refinery and petrochemical plants in Asia.

These contracts are a part of an impressive five-year trend of growth for CR3. Over the last five years, the business has grown substantially in India. CR3 has invested over US$7 million in new equipment and facilities to support its projects and long-term contracts. The number of these projects has more than tripled.