MUENSTER, Germany – At the 44^th edition of WorldSkills, the world championship of apprenticeships, 26 spray painters proved that automotive refinishing is a highly complex trade. During the finals in Abu Dhabi, the participants in the Car Painting category presented their skills to a professional jury. After an exciting competition, the gold medal went to Yingcheng Jiang from China. Silver went to Daryl Head from the UK while Maurus von Holzen from Switzerland, Jonas Heinze from Germany and Enzo Barragato from France won bronze medals.

For BASF’s Coatings division, a global sponsor of WorldSkills, the competition is an ideal opportunity to support the next generation of automotive refinishers. It is one of numerous contributions to make young talents excited about the spray painting profession.

Another way to support the education of spray painters is BASF’s global STAMPP program, an internationally standardized one-year training for new automotive refinishing technicians, conducted in partnership with selected vocational schools and body shops. The success of the program was demonstrated at WorldSkills as this year’s gold medal winner, Yingcheng Jiang, studies at the Hangzhou Technician Institute in China, which introduced STAMPP in 2016.

At the WorldSkills finals, all spray painters exclusively worked with products from the Glasurit portfolio, BASF’s premium automotive refinish brand. Prior to the competition, they had been trained on how to use Glasurit and hence knew the benefits of the sustainable waterborne technology of 90 Line.

During the competition, the jury also paid close attention to how sustainable the participants’ approach to each task was. For his performance, Maurus von Holzen from Switzerland received a special sustainability award because, among other things, he used less material than the other finalists.

René Lang, Vice President Sales Management Automotive Refinish EMEA at BASF’s Coatings division, praised the participants’ attitude towards sustainability. “For BASF and the Glasurit brand, education and environmentally friendly behavior go hand in hand. Only with the appropriate knowledge can we create awareness for the issue and make sustainable choices,” said Lang.

“By selecting the right products, reducing waste and re-using materials, young spray painters are in a position to combine ecological vision and economic success. We are proud that the participants not only presented their technical abilities during WorldSkills, but were also able to show that they understand the importance of a sustainable way of working,” added Lang.