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Letter to the Editor

BASF Seminar Teaches Paint Fundamentals to Jaguar and Land Rover Field Service Engineers

Seventeen North American Field Service Engineers from automakers Jaguar and Land Rover recently completed an intensive three-day seminar called “Paint Fundamentals” at BASF’s Coatings Campus in Southfield, Mich. The seminar included information on the latest technologies, processes and products in automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and refinish paints.

“Field Service Engineers are naturally inquisitive individuals, eager to learn more about all things automotive,” said Scott Tucker, Manager, Dealer Technical Support for Jaguar and Land Rover. “This seminar certainly increased our group’s understanding of automotive paint systems and the repair process.”

The seminar was conducted by research chemists and application specialists from BASF’s Automotive OEM and Automotive Refinish Coatings businesses. According to Joe Skurka, Manager of OEM Relations for BASF’s Automotive Refinish business in North America, the purpose of the seminar was to familiarize the service engineers with automotive coatings chemistry and with the relationship between original equipment paint applied at the factory and the paint and application processes used in collision repair facilities.

“As a major worldwide supplier of paints to the automotive OEM and refinish industries, BASF ensures that OEM and refinish paint technologies are compatible and that the finish of a repaired vehicle is indistinguishable from its factory finish,” said Skurka. “The field service engineers serve as the technical liaison between the factory and the dealership’s collision repair shop, and the seminar was designed to teach them about the technical requirements and issues involved in paint repair.”

In addition to basic paint chemistry, the seminar covered OEM application processes and OEM color development and control. BASF’s Application and Research Center in Southfield includes a 17,000-gallon primer tank and state-of-the-art robotic spray equipment. The seminar participants were able to see how car bodies are painted in an assembly plant. “Seeing this process up close takes some of the mystery out of how cars get painted,” said Skurka.

The seminar’s second day was devoted to the repair process. Participants learned how to identify common paint defects and their causes, and practiced repairing automotive panels. The third day included a lively roundtable discussion about painting and repairing vehicles.

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