CRC Industries manufactures products to keep machinery and fleet equipment performing at its peak. While they are known as a maintenance and repair products supplier, with more than 50 years’ experience in the industry they have become an agile solutions provider. As such, they are able to cater to the diverse maintenance, repair and operations challenges faced by building material manufacturers.

The key to this, National Marketing Manager Simon Hatton says, is product reliability and consistency.

“Our products hit every tradesperson in the construction industry, from the painter to the tiler, to the chippie, to the electrician. The guys know that when they walk up to the 33rd floor, for example, the can they’ve been carrying will perform exactly like it did on the ground floor,” Hatton says.

“They’re looking for efficiency in productivity and they get this from product reliability. They know how much they’re going to get out of a can and that it will be fit for purpose.”

Manufactured in Australia, CRC’s range of lubricants, degreasers, and adhesives, among other things, are made with the Australian construction industry in mind. What makes CRC Industries so agile with these offerings is that they conduct extensive research and product development.

“We have a strong engagement with the end user and we’re constantly listening to the market, we’re looking at trends, we’re working with other market leaders and the relevant industry partners, to provide a solution on top of what we’re already offering.”

“We back up our industry partners, such as BSC, as a solution provider with our range, which is constantly being updated and expanded in response to market needs.”

A recently launched offering for the building material manufacturing sector is a clear example of how CRC Industries updated their offerings after listening to customers. The zinc product range was formulated in order to prevent rusting.

“The rusting process takes place when iron or steel is exposed to atmospheric oxygen in the presence of water. When this happens, the metal is degraded and forms ferric rust which is a red-brown compound and a real scourge for our customers,” Hatton says.

“Metallic zinc coating is universally accepted as the best method of rust prevention and we are proud to offer a great range of zinc products to our customers.”

“CRC zinc products can be used on structural steel, trailers, roofs, guard rails, welding seams, rivet holes, fencing, storage tank transformers, power generation equipment and much more and can also be used to touch up galvanised coatings.”

The zinc range features advanced protective coating technology to protect surfaces from chemical, environmental and ultraviolet damage preventing, rust, oxidation, corrosion, staining, and fading for up to 27 months.

CRC Clear Zinc, for example, is a protective coating that can be applied to almost any surface. It seals the surface with an impact resistant gloss and provides protection from damaging UV light while being highly corrosion resistant. CRC Prime It, alternatively, is formulated for the protection of structural steel and iron. It offers high levels of anti-corrosive zinc complexes and up to three years of protection on exposed outdoor metals.

Other products offer heat resistance, water resistance, can even repair some surfaces, as well as restore rust protection. Often, only a single coating is needed.

According to Hatton, one of the biggest trends in the industry now is the demand for more sustainable products. And the company responded to customer requests by expanding their product range to include environmentally-sound products.

However, according to BSC’s National Product Manager, Steve Keown, there’s a misconception that the move towards using more sustainable products is affecting product performance.

The move towards water-based, environmentally-sound products, says Keown, has actually improved performance and productivity.

“We’re changing with the industry, we’re trying to move away from being a chemical provider to being a solutions provider in that we can give them greener, more sustainable products,” Hatton says.

“Most industries are wanting to reduce their environmental footprint, and we’re getting on board with them to provide a solution that’s biodegradable or cleaner.”Where originally some of CRC’s products were petrol-based, they are now water-based. Hatton says CRC is proud to offer a solution outside of the traditional solvent chemicals.

“Those types of traditional petroleum products may require a respirator, depending on the circumstances, now we’ve got a solution that isn’t oxygen depleting, and so there is less of an OH&S risk.”