R-M® LAUNCHES THE 12TH INTERNATIONAL BEST PAINTER CONTEST: Promoting excellence among talented young painters
R-M, BASF’s premium paint brand for the automotive refinish industry, is kicking off The 12th R-M Best Painter Contest to search for the best young painters in more than 18 countries from Europe, South Africa and Asia, and, for the first time, North America. The main theme is innovative thinking with state-of-the-art technologies and sustainable solutions, using R-M’s ONYX HD waterborne paint line. The finalists identified through national competitions will represent their individual countries in the international finals which will be held at the International R-M Refinish Competence Center in Clermont, near Paris, between September 26 and 30, 2016.
Tokyo, Japan – October 23, 2015 – The R-M International Best Painter Contest is the automotive refinish brand’s unique competition that promotes skills and career development of painting talent in the automotive industry. “Today more than ever, we support our customers in achieving excellence and increased productivity in automotive refinishing through dedicated training on site or in our Refinish Competence Centers. Not only with the best solutions to increase their productivity and business success, but also with our customers to identify young talented painters who are able to think in an innovative and sustainable way, as we do,” says Harald Pflanzl, Senior Vice President, Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions Europe, at BASF Group’s Coatings Division. The winner of the last Best Painter Contest held in 2013 was Ole Kristian Fureid from Norway. He now works as a technician, providing professional support to bodyshop networks like DK, the world’s largest bodyshop specializing in the refinish of 100% electric Tesla vehicles.
The R-M theme for the 2015-2016 competition reflects the global R-M brand philosophy, which is to remain close to the automotive industry, in the pursuit of innovation for a successful and sustainable future. The competition is open to all contestants under 30 years old who will compete with their skills using ONYX HD waterborne paints, employing the best available R-M technology to maximize productivity, as well as causing the lowest possible environmental impact. The judging panel will monitor every stage of the competition by looking at the implementation of efficient and environmentally-friendly processes, fast and efficient application techniques, accurate color matching, blending and spot repair.
Japan will be participating for the third time in the international Best Painter Contest and will be holding national competitions in January 2016. The winning national finalist will secure a place for the international finals held in Clermont. In 2010, the finalist from Japan won first prize.
The R-M International Best Painter Contest is a key industry event and it is also a platform to show the ever changing demands on today’s young painters, who need to possess not only practical skills, but also business acumen and IT knowledge.
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.
