BASF relaunches renovated training centre
BASF has celebrated the reopening of its renovated refinish centre in Spain. It says more than 2,000 people will benefit from training at this state-of-the-art centre every year.
The Refinish Competence Centre is dedicated to teaching bodyshop technicians, distributors and large automotive companies, all of them BASF customers in Spain and Portugal, about its renowned premium brands Glasurit and R-M.
In addition, it will host numerous events intended to promote the training of young future professionals, through initiatives such as ‘R-M Best Painter Contest’ and ‘Castilla-La Mancha Skills’, as well as training vocational teachers through the FORTECO programme.
Originally built in 1983, the facility is among the top addresses for BASF customers in Iberia and more than 2,000 people a year participate in the training programs. The training is key to being able to master the complex techniques of color adjustment and automotive refinishing, and it provides a complete overview of the latest innovations of the two brands.
Since the start of this year, the Marchamalo centre has invested around €2.5m in renovating the facility so as to offer the best possible technological experience. With a clear focus on sustainability and environmental protection, BASF has installed equipment with maximum energy efficiency and minimum emissions.
Covering an area of 310,000 sqm, the centre employs around 650 staff and encompasses two paint factories, one plant for intermediate resins, and a large-scale production unit. Apart from the renovated training centre, the site includes an automotive application centre as well as quality control and development laboratories for all its main product segments.
The products manufactured in Guadalajara include high-technology coatings for the automotive industry and other technically demanding applications, various acrylics, binders for electrocoating, thix additives, polyesters and other special intermediate resins, and decorative paints, fillers and protective additives for tunneling machines.
