20 YEARS OF INTERNATIONAL R-M TRAINING PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION

This year signals 20 years of training excellence at the Refinish Competence Centre (RCC), as the next generation of R-M painters from around the world look forward to competing in the tenth edition of the International Best Painter Contest being held at the RCC in Clermont, near Paris.

R-M’s innovative and dynamic approach to learning, which has evolved around its close links with the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers at both OEM and refinish levels, together with the most advanced refinish technology available, has revolutionized training. From the workshop floor to bodyshop management, the RCC provides delegates with the knowledge and expertise they need to be both technically and commercially successful in this highly competitive business.

“With both the Refinish Competence Centre and the production facility based on the same site here at Clermont, we have direct access to one of the world’s leading colour laboratories and the most advanced OEM paint technology. For our international set-up of training standards in the countries, we benefit from the huge influence cutting edge pigment technology has on automotive refinish materials and new colours, ensuring that R-M maintains its position as a premium brand world wide” says RCC Manager Ronny Raeymaekers.

The evolution of the market and training
In the 90s, training majored on basic refinishing techniques, with the emphasis on fast, accurate colour matching and mixing, particularly following the launch of the pioneering R-M Colormaster system, which together with Colortronic 2 made colour identification fast and accurate. These R-M innovations, together with the introduction of low VOC products and waterbornes, saw radical changes in training, which led to more product based and management orientated training, based on new technology, eco-friendly products and production efficiency. This is as important today as it was in the 90s as other countries convert to eco efficient materials, in fact, R-M converted the first bodyshop in Japan to waterborne technology in just a month and this trend is set to continue as the RCC provides global training support.

Today it’s all about optimization
Perfection made simple. This is what R-M aims to achieve, working in close partnership with the bodyshops. Today, painters need more than traditional training, that’s why the RCC delivers commercially based training, driving process optimization, so bodyshops can be more efficient and productive, while maintaining the highest possible repair quality and maximizing profit.

STAMPP
Training young painters is the primary aim for R-M as they are considered the “next generation”. That’s why R-M continues to invest in the International Best Painter Contest as well as in Project STAMPP. Project STAMPP (from the words STimulate and revAMp the Paint Profession) is a vital component within the R-M Refinish Competence Centre’s training philosophy and has been developed by BASF to support of the global automotive industry.
The future of learning will be Active, Blended and E-learning techniques.

R-M achieves that through interactivity, consultation and exchanges of knowledge , which R-M calls Active Learning.

R-M also uses what is called Blended Learning, which combines on site and off site training conducted by qualified trainers together with e-learning, which utilizes the power of the internet and electronic/digital multi-media applications to offer a wide range of training individually tailored to the needs of the delegates.

E-learning began as an internal learning program but is now being developed in a number of languages to enable delegates anywhere in the world to complete an accurate knowledge assessment through on line testing, identify any gaps in their knowledge and close those gaps with the correct training modules. E-learning is an important building block in future learning but cannot replace traditional study methods and should therefore always be combined with face-to-face training.