Young automotive spray painters exhibit outstanding performance at the WorldSkills Competition 2019 in Kazan, Russia

• Ting-Yu Yang from Taipei, China, wins first place in Car Painting category
• Special focus on sustainability with prizes awarded
• Participants trained and worked exclusively with products from BASF’s Glasurit^® refinish portfolio

After an exciting competition, the world champions in the “Car Painting” category have been determined at WorldSkills Kazan 2019. More than 1,300 competitors from 63 countries and regions competed in the world championship of skills, and the most prestigious international vocational skills competition. The gold medal was clinched by Ting-Yu Yang. The young woman from Taipei, China, proved to be the best among 27 young spray painters. The silver medal was awarded to Conor McKevitt from the United Kingdom, with the bronze medal going to Maxine Colligan from Australia.

All of the young painters at the WorldSkills Competition used refinishing products and color-matching tools exclusively from Glasurit, BASF’s premium refinish brand. By reducing waste, reusing materials and selecting the right products, such as rapid-drying Glasurit UV Primer Filler grey, the young spray painters were able to combine ecological awareness and economic success – and took home important input for their everyday work.

In addition, they were trained via the Glasurit Know-how online training platform. Training videos provided step-by-step instructions for using the products and setting up efficient processes. Prior to the competition, the participants were trained on how to use Glasurit products and their own acumen to work sustainably throughout the competition.

Sustainable Practice Award

Since 1950, the WorldSkills Competition has aimed to motivate young people worldwide to take up a trade or technical profession. By sponsoring this initiative since 2017, the Automotive Refinish business unit of BASF’s Coatings division supports and inspires young talents. National and regional preliminary competitions narrow the field to only the best of their trade, as contestants qualify for the finals of the biennial world championships.

For the second time, WorldSkills announced the Sustainable Practice Award to promote and develop a sustainable mindset in different professions. Competitors must complete the test projects in the most efficient way in terms of saving materials, water and energy. The Sustainable Practice Award was launched at the 2017 WorldSkills Competition in Abu Dhabi. This year, bronze medal winner Colligan also convinced the jury with her sustainable working practices during automotive refinishing. She came in second in the Sustainable Practice Awards after Kam Hung Li from Hong Kong, China (first place) and before Anthony Bourgeade from France (third place). 

Young professionals stand for a sustainable future

“At BASF, sustainability and education is the basis of everything we do. If we choose a sustainable solution, we need the knowledge required to make this choice. Glasurit’s support in the Car Painting skills category gives us a holistic opportunity to promote sustainable practices and prepare young talent for the workplace of the future,” Roar Solberg, Vice President Sales Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions EMEA, BASF, emphasized. “BASF and Glasurit want to contribute to attracting more young people to the job of spray painter as there is a shortage of skilled workers in the body shops. The competition is a great opportunity to support the next generation of automotive refinishers and also to make the paint and coatings industry aware of young, well-trained talents.”

The 45th WorldSkills Competition took place in August in Kazan, Russia. The participants measured their skills against each other in 56 performance competitions in a wide range of industries – from Hairdressing, Electronics, Autobody Repair to Bakery. The next WorldSkills will be held in Shanghai, China, in 2021.

About BASF’s Coatings division

The Coatings division of BASF is a global expert in the development, production and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings, decorative paints as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries. The portfolio is completed by the “Innovation Beyond Paint” program which aims at developing new markets and businesses. We create advanced performance solutions and drive performance, design and new applications to meet our partners’ needs all over the world. BASF shares skills, knowledge and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific. In 2018, the Coatings division achieved global sales of about €3.86 billion.

Solutions beyond your imagination – Coatings by BASF. For more information about the Coatings division of BASF and its products, visit www.basf-coatings.com.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 122,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €63 billion in 2018. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.

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