BASF event to educate industry on waterborne paint

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — BASF will hold an event in late March that will educate the collision repair industry on waterborne paints, which are expected to become the industry standard over the next few years, thanks to air quality c

Jan. 1, 2020

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New air quality control regulations are being pushed in portions of California, and more and more shops will be switching from solvents to waterborne as a result.

ABRN has learned that the event will consist of an interactive panel discussion, followed by an evening of entertainment featuring comedian Christopher Titus.

The panel discussion will feature seven panelists representing all aspects of the collision repair industry in Southern California. One panelist will be a representative from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which is the body responsible for the air quality law changes that shops now must follow. The other panelists will be a representative from a major insurance company, two collision repair shop owners and two BASF specialists.

A representative from the office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will be on hand, along with the Mayor of Burbank, Todd Campbell. Other dignitaries are expected. Chuck Sulkala, executive director of the National Auto Body Council, will be the master of ceremonies and moderator for the event.

Sources have told ABRN that the event is an invitation-only affair and was set up to answer any questions the industry may have about what will happen because of the next-generation, lower VOC regulations.

The discussion will focus on three issues:

• What are the new regulations and when do they take effect?

• What are the solutions that BASF offers?

• How will these solutions effect body shop operations?

The purpose of the event is to show BASF’s commitment to California and inform them that BASF’s solutions are commercial and body shops can implement them today.

The EPA continues to aim for the Dec. 15, 2007 date for the promulgation, which is a part of an accelerated timetable. The original promulgation date was August 2008. The promulgation is the final announcement of the rule.

The EPA recognizes that there needs to be some implementation time before the promulgated rule is enforced. The original timetable allowed for three years, to August 2011, before actual enforcement would start, thus it is assumed that this too will be moved up, probably to December 2010.