Basel Switzerland – 21 June 2018: Axalta (NYSE: AXTA), a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, participated in the International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS) summit that took place in Munich, Germany, between 11 and 13 June 2018. Axalta’s delegation at the event consisted of 32 participants representing the company’s senior management team, teams of Axalta’s three premium global refinish brands – Cromax®, Spies Hecker, and Standox - as well as a number of its partners and customers. Axalta supported the summit as an Official Partner.

“IBIS Global Summit is a must-attend event for any major players in the refinish industry,” says Joe McDougall, Axalta’s Executive Vice President and President of Global Refinish and EMEA, who hosted the company’s delegation at the event. “Having prominent industry experts, major market influencers and many of our key customers in one place is a fantastic opportunity to discuss and to debate major challenges and strategic opportunities for the future with them.”

Jim Muse, Axalta’s North America Sales Director and Global Refinish Accounts Director, was one of the key speakers at the IBIS panel debate dedicated to current trends in skills and talent development in the refinish industry.

Muse says, “employee engagement, training and talent development are a vital part of Axalta’s human resource policy. But we also understand that the global refinish industry should attract fresh talent who can lead it into the future. Bearing this in mind, Axalta works closely with colleges and universities across the world, not only helping students to develop their professional skills, but also to spark their interest and to encourage them to continue their careers in the refinish sector.”

Axalta and its three global refinish brands demonstrate their commitment to improving skills across the industry via various professional development events, training courses and masterclasses for students and refinish professionals. For example, in the Netherlands, Standox works with Edudelta college organising dedicated refinish days for its students, installing a refinish workshop in the college, and encouraging local bodyshops to accept students as interns. Throughout North America, Axalta works with Vocational Technical Schools providing products as well as instructional support to high school students who want to start a career in the refinish industry. 

"These activities help to bridge the existing skills gap in the coatings and refinish industries, but they also provide students with the necessary knowledge they need to succeed in today's highly competitive job market," concludes Muse.

Axalta also exhibited at IBIS Global Summit. Its stand showcased a variety of relevant initiatives for the industry, including RepScore.net™, a new, innovative digital network management system. RepScore.net has been specifically developed to help improve the cooperation between bodyshops and network owners. It helps to optimise the service and quality of both the bodyshop and the network in order to gain an advantage in a competitive marketplace. 

IBIS is the leading forum dedicated to the refinish industry. Since its inception in 2001, the event has been attracting an audience of refinishers, industry experts and refinish systems manufacturers from all over the world, keeping them up to date on the most significant industry developments and allowing refinish professionals to develop their professional network.

For more information and to visit Axalta’s newsroom, visit www.axalta.co.uk.

About Axalta 

Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and providing customers with innovative, colourful, beautiful and sustainable solutions. From light OEM vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish applications to electric motors, buildings and pipelines, our coatings are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enable the materials we coat to last longer. With more than 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, the 13,300 people of Axalta continue to find ways to serve our more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more information visit axalta.co.uk and follow us @Axalta on Twitter and on LinkedIn.