During the competition, participants will exclusively use products from the comprehensive portfolio of BASF’s refinish brands Glasurit and R-M, depending on the country, as well as the RODIM brand range of paint-related products.
"Our commitment emphasizes the significance and viability of a career as an automotive refinisher,” said Gillfillan.
The competition, which also includes the international R-M Best Painter Contest, illustrates the diverse nature of the occupation, which calls for both craftsmanship as well as sustainable thinking and efficiency.
The support by BASF's Coatings division provides WorldSkills with a strong global partner that will contribute its in-depth automotive refinishing expertise to the competitions. The sponsorship enhances the image of numerous occupations worldwide and the young competitors, from all over the world, get the chance to demonstrate their technical abilities and master new challenges.
To qualify for the final at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, in which 76 national WorldSkills associations will be represented, the candidates must win the national competition of their respective country. About 100,000 visitors are expected to attend the competition, including 10,000 international visitors, making the WorldSkills competition the biggest event ever to be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. At the 2017 WorldSkills final, the automotive refinish contenders will compete using Glasurit premium brand products, exclusively.
The WorldSkills competition is a world championship of non-academic occupations. Since 1950, trainees and young skilled workers from all over the world compete in numerous categories and measure their skills in the individual occupations. The competition aims to motivate young people worldwide to take up a trade or technical occupation. Participants qualify for the biennial world championship in national and regional preliminary competitions.
About BASF Automotive Refinish
BASF's Automotive Refinish business makes and markets coatings for the collision repair, commercial fleet and automotive specialty markets. Its paint products are supported by technical training programs, advanced color information systems and business management and planning tools. For more information visit: http://www.basfrefinish.com/
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 17,500 employees in North America, and had sales of $16.2 billion in 2016. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 114,000 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 five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about €58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.
To support up-and-coming automotive refinish spray painters and young talent, BASF's Coatings division is a global sponsor of the WorldSkills International association until at least 2019.
