From BodyShop Business
BASF has announced that it is expanding its global automotive refinish training network. In Hanoi, Vietnam, a new Refinish Competence Center (RCC) has just opened, with new training centers in the pipeline for the U.S. and Italy.
Influenced by an increasing number of training requests, BASF states that the additional network of training competence centers will further strengthen its position as a leader in an industry focused on customer intimacy and education.
From various Asia Pacific countries including Australia and China to the U.S., France and Germany, BASF offers training for its automotive refinish customers at its RCCs. The training network comprises more than 50 training centers, where painters practice and perfect the use of automotive paints.
At the RCCs, BASF says participants learn from professional trainers who share industry knowledge and tips participants need for high-quality and technically perfect automotive refinishing.
In 2011, approximately 12,000 painters attended training courses at the RCCs worldwide. In Asia Pacific, more than 2,000 painters from various body shops participate in professional training courses at one of the RCCs each year.
“These days, painters need more than traditional training," said Ken Marshall, head of Automotive Refinish Coatings in Asia Pacific for BASF. "For this reason, we offer training courses at the RCCs that focus on both the quality and the efficiency of the seminar participants.”
In Italy, an RCC is under construction in Cesano Maderno. At the same time, there are plans for the construction of a new RCC in Atlanta, Ga., where operations are scheduled to begin in mid-2013. The existing RCC in Sydney, Australia, and the location at Refinish Excellence in Jakarta, Indonesia, are now being renovated. Also, the RCC in Clermont, France, is under construction for a full upgrade.
BASF says its training concept is geared to the international market, with all RCC locations being equipped with the latest technology in order to create an optimum learning environment for all seminar participants.
“Whether in the United States, Vietnam or France, we work with the same high standards at our RCCs worldwide," said Jürgen Book, who is responsible for BASF’s RCCs in Europe. "In order to achieve excellent results, our RCCs have state-of-the-art equipment and feature best in the industry trainers.”
