In high-pressure industrial environments, machinery represents a significant investment. But the true cost goes far beyond the initial purchase price. Ensuring uptime, extending operational life and minimising environmental impact all require a strategic approach to service, maintenance and refurbishment.
CRJ Services combines engineering expertise with in-house repair and refurbishment capabilities to keep machines operating at peak performance for longer. By focusing on proactive support and full-lifecycle management, the company helps customers reduce downtime, improve reliability and meet growing sustainability demands.
Why is it no longer enough to focus solely on building and installing machinery, rather than managing its full lifecycle through maintenance, repair and refurbishment?
Customers are using machines in tough operating conditions (such as busy waste processing sites and quarries) for extended periods of time, so uptime is really important and they need someone who can support them. They require more than a simple installation – we work closely with them to provide full-lifecycle support, ensuring that if a machine suffers a breakdown, we are there to respond quickly.
The marketplace is also demanding more in terms of sustainability. By focusing on preventative maintenance and refurbishment, we make sure machines operate efficiently throughout their lifespan, reducing the risk of major failures and prolonging operational life. This approach enables customers to buy machinery with confidence, knowing it will be supported long-term, so they can meet productivity and sustainability goals.
How do unexpected breakdowns affect customers’ operations financially and operationally, beyond the cost of replacing a machine?
It’s huge for the customer because downtime for them is really, really significant to their operations. We’re working with some key customers who face significant contractual penalties if their machines are not producing and doing what they need them to do. Unplanned downtimes also have a significant sustainability impact. When a machine fails unexpectedly, components are often subjected to higher stress loads, which accelerates wear and can shorten the machine’s overall lifespan.
By reducing breakdowns and prolonging machine life through proactive maintenance, we help customers avoid premature component replacement and reduce the environmental footprint of their operations. Ideally, we make sure this downtime is planned because if they get an unplanned event, then the risk of default penalties increase, which will impact their bottom line. So we’re there to support our customers through their contractual obligations as well.
How does CRJ’s in-house model enable faster repairs and refurbishment, reducing downtime and extending machine life?
We maintain all critical capabilities in-house, from engineering and diagnostics to refurbishment and parts supply. This enables faster turnaround times because we rarely outsource the work to sub-contractors. Maintaining full control over workmanship ensures faster turnaround, consistent quality and full accountability across every repair or refurbishment.
We’re also able to anticipate problems ahead of time because in our workshop, every machine undergoes a rigorous 160-point inspection, and where required we perform non-destructive testing and MPI (magnetic particle inspection) to ensure structural reliability. Our workshop is fully equipped with a 12.5-tonne overhead crane to ensure that we can undertake the most complex refurb jobs.
In what ways does a focus on refurbishing and recycling machinery support sustainability, and why is that increasingly important in your industry?
We see sustainability as a core priority. The most sustainable machine is one that remains in service for longer, reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing and transporting new units. By refurbishing and recycling machinery, we help customers reduce carbon emissions, conserve materials and optimise energy use. Preventative maintenance and proactive interventions ensure that machines are kept in peak condition, minimising waste and supporting broader corporate sustainability goals.
We also carry out proactive hose management in-house, using our own hydraulic swaging equipment. This allows us to replace aging or vulnerable hoses before they leave our workshop, significantly reducing the risk of a pressurised hydraulic failure, on site. Preventing these failures not only minimises operational disruption for customers but also reduces environmental impact by avoiding fluid leaks, emergency callouts and premature component disposal. It’s another way we extend machine life and keep equipment running efficiently for longer.
Why does CRJ avoid outsourcing critical stages of service, and how does that prevent costly issues over the machine’s lifetime?
Keeping all critical work in-house ensures we maintain consistent quality, reliability and accountability across every service we deliver. Our drivers personally deliver machinery, and our engineers carry out inspections and provide on-site support, eliminating the variability associated with external subcontractors.
Our transport department manages all machine movements and each delivery includes a full handover pack. This ensures operators understand the machine fully from day one, reducing early-life faults and supporting safer operation.
How does human expertise complement automated systems when diagnosing, repairing, or refurbishing complex machinery?
Telematic software provides valuable real-time data on component performance, machine hours and potential issues, but human expertise remains essential. Our engineers interpret data, understand operational context, identify subtle signs of wear, and deliver accurate root cause analysis.
We track every breakdown internally, right up to director level. Repeated faults are analysed using Kaizen methodology to identify underlying root causes and eliminate recurrence.
From both engineering and service perspectives, how does proactive commissioning and maintenance improve reliability, maintainability and operational uptime months or even years later?
Proactive servicing and thorough 160-point checks ensure that machines begin their working life, optimised for performance. Regular inspections, scheduled servicing every 250 hours and oil analysis help identify early-stage issues long before they develop into major failures.
This preventative approach has allowed us to extend the lifespan of our own fleet by 25%, demonstrating the long-term value of proactive maintenance.
How does CRJ’s expanding national footprint help deliver consistent, end-to-end support as customers grow or scale operations?
We operate a strategically positioned network of 12 mobile engineers across the UK, as far north as The Scottish Highlands and as far south as Devon. This is supported by our central engineering team and internal service support team. This ensures rapid response times for both preventative and reactive events, no matter where customers are based.
Our service vans are fully stocked with critical parts, and engineers in remote regions also carry additional unit-based stock. This ensures we can quickly identify and resolve issues on-site, often without requiring any third-party assistance.
Find out more about CRJ Services
In high-pressure industrial environments, machinery represents a significant investment. But the true cost goes far beyond the initial purchase price. Ensuring uptime, extending operational life and minimising environmental impact all require a strategic approach to service, maintenance and refurbishment.
CRJ Services combines engineering expertise with in-house repair and refurbishment capabilities to keep machines operating at peak performance for longer. By focusing on proactive support and full-lifecycle management, the company helps customers reduce downtime, improve reliability and meet growing sustainability demands.
Find out more about CRJ Services
