The 12th R-M® International Best Painter Contest:Painter from Japan once again regained glory and won the second prize of the International Best Painter

Mr. Genya Yokota from Avance Techno Service in Japan has won the second prize in the international final of the R-M Best Painter Contest. The contest challenges young painters’ creativity and skills in using R-M’s ONYX HD waterborne paint for automotive refinishing and promotes career development of painting talent in the automotive industry.

Tokyo, Japan – October 3, 2016 - R-M, BASF’s premium paint brand for the automotive refinish industry, held the 12th R-M Best Painter Contest at the R-M Refinish Competence Center in Clermont de l’Oise, France from September 27 to 30. The competition final was contested by the nations’ best young painters from 15 countries and four regions (Europe, South Africa, Asia and North America). The main theme of the competition was innovative thinking with state-of-the-art technologies and sustainable solutions, using R-M’s ONYX HD waterborne paint line.

Japan’s representative, Mr. Genya Yokota from Avance Techno Service, won the second prize. Taking the first place was Berry Kooijman from the Netherlands and the third place was Myles Veljacic from Canada. “I am thrilled that all of my effort and training has paid off. I want to make the best out of this experience for the future,” said Mr. Genya Yokota, “In Japan, the automotive refinish business is becoming more and more professional. I’ll continue to be very committed to improving my skills and devoting myself to the service of my customers.”

The International R-M Best Painter Contest is held biennially for painters under 30 years old with an aim to develop young talent through a competition on technical painting skills using ONYX HD. This year, 15 best young painters, including two female painters from South Africa and Germany, were shortlisted from national and regional finals. During the three-day competition, they were asked to compete in a wide range of demanding technical skill tests: preparation, blending, color retrieval, color reading, masking, paint-related product knowledge, and health & safety.

Jean-Paul Lacombe, Senior Manager from Automotive Refinish Department, Coating Division, BASF Japan Ltd., said: “We are extremely happy that a Japanese painter has won second prize, and that his talents have been recognized on the world stage. This is exciting news and a clear signal to the industry that our Japanese painters are highly skilled. We also believe that through this event, we can increase the industry’s awareness of sustainable car repair processes, develop young talent for the industry, and elevate the professional and social status of automotive refinish painters, from which our auto-repair industry customers can benefit.”

Japan participated in the international R-M Best Painter Contest for the third time since 2010. Through this contest, BASF promotes the use of environmentally and health friendly waterborne paint in Japan. As a market leader in waterborne refinish paint solutions, BASF is also committed to training young spray painters.

R-M Automotive Refinish Paints: an important part of BASF’s Coatings Division

Under the R-M brand, BASF markets a comprehensive range of automotive refinishing paint systems, focusing on eco-efficient waterborne basecoats and high-solids paints. By using these systems all legal solvent-reduction requirements can be complied with anywhere in the world, and with regard to appearance and resistance, the products meet the same quality standards as solvent-borne paints. In this area, the company offers a wide variety of services to support its customers. R-M Automotive Refinish Paints is approved by most of the leading car manufacturers for aftermarket repair and chosen by the world's most prestigious car companies for its color expertise.