Sheen Panel Service apprentices recently received professional training from BASF on Glasurit product and processes. This training was held at Kangan Institute’s Automotive Centre of Excellence in Melbourne, led by National Head Trainer James Green and Glasurit Trainer Michael Mudford.
The four-day event covered preparation, the importance of choosing the correct grey shade, wet-on-wet application, multi-layer application, multi-layer colour reproduction and Glasurit VOC and non-VOC clearcoats. In the final two days the apprentices competed against each other in a painter ‘shoot out’.
“This group is quite diverse, ranging from second to fourth year apprentices,” said Mudford. “The apprentices all had great potential, were eager to learn, demonstrated initiative and took the opportunity to ask questions regarding processes.”
Demonstrations of the process were explained using Glasurit Know-How, an online training platform featuring individual modules covering all aspects of automotive refinishing, relevant for experienced users and new employees or apprentices. Once each process was shown on this platform, the apprentices completed the practical component.
Glasurit said upon marking the apprentices’ work, Green and Mudford noticed the competition was very close, a reflection on their engagement of the training and the high standard of work the group of apprentices displayed.
“It was great to have the [training] team from BASF down to Melbourne to do some on-site training at Kangan Automotive Centre of Excellence,” said Tony Todaro, Sheen Apprenticeship Manager. “It was much appreciated by all involved and everyone learnt a lot but also had plenty of fun during the week. We’re all hoping to see plenty more of this type of training in the future”.
During the competition component of the training, the apprentices were divided into three groups and rotated through stations covering colour matching using the Glasurit Profi System, a written questionnaire and panel preparation.
This was followed by mixing, matching and spraying Soul Crystal Red 46V, which was introduced to the market in 2017. Known for its vividness and depth, Soul Red Crystal 46V is a three-layer paint with different types of aluminium flakes to reflect and absorb light.
The final practical task was to match a BMW matt finish using Glasurit matt clear coats, which allowed the apprentices to not only match the colour but also the gloss of a clear coat.
The competition winner, Dylan Hoskin from Sheen Mitcham, was awarded a training session at the Glasurit Refinish Competence Centre in Sydney and a DeVilbiss DV1 spray gun. The runner up, Mark Reining from Sheen Ferntree Gully, received a spray gun from 3M. All delegates were rewarded for their participation with a certificate and Glasurit merchandise pack.
Sheen Panel Service said it is working hard to attract the next generation of painters into the trade, shown through the company’s stands at exhibitions such as VCE Careers Expo at Caulfield Racecourse, Victorian Careers Exhibition at the Melbourne Showgrounds and upcoming Careers Expo at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
BASF said it continues to diversify its customer training programme to ensure the success of future generations of spray painters.