National company presents paint clinic at Morrisville State

More than 30 professionals from the collision repair industry recently attended a paint clinic for Axalta Coating Systems at Morrisville State's auto body facility.



Axalta Coating Systems, one of the largest coating companies in the world, provided opportunities for product representatives and others in the collision repair industry to paint, blend and test their newest product, Cromax ® Mosaic^TM, in the college's Garmat paint booth.



The soon-to-be-launched Cromax ® Mosaic^TM product, which was spotlighted in last year's SEMA Show New Products Showcase, is a solvent-borne, VOC compliant, collision repair basecoat system. Basecoat is the color component of a two-stage base/clear automotive refinishing system.



“We are one of the first ones to have a commercially acceptable basecoat system like this,” said Cary Bikowsky, business development manager for Axalta Coating Systems.



“The new paint is pretty cool and is going to give us options we didn't have before, which is just what we need,” said John Ackermann, business development manager for Keystone Automotive in Albany. With 500 different locations, Keystone Automotive is one of the largest automotive collision repair supply companies in the country.



“I am very impressed with Morrisville having a facility like this, offering both two- and four-year auto degrees, and providing this training to the public,” Ackermann said.



Axalta Coating Systems, formerly DuPont, has partnered with the college for the past eight years, utilizing the auto body building as a training facility and holding an average of six classes per year.



“The (Morrisville) instructors and facility are great, offering us flexibility and a great location,” Bikowsky said.



“This (auto body) facility is a great training center,” Ackermann said. “We normally would have to travel to Pennsylvania for something like this.”



The college also hosts corporate-level and local training for collision repair technicians and paint, body, and equipment suppliers, as well as an annual training fair for BOCES instructors in June.



Auto faculty and students from the college also represent Morrisville at the SEMA tradeshow, the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, which provides attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events and networking opportunities.



Axalta Coating Systems is also known for its Brilliant Flames paint scheme on the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS race car, driven by four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon. Gordon's car will feature the eye-catching design in 10 Sprint Cup races this year. The company will also be featured on Gordon's car as a secondary sponsor for the other races.



Morrisville's auto programs prepare students for automotive careers, aligning them with current industry.



Morrisville's automotive facilities include an award-winning automotive technology building with nine state-of-the art laboratories, a showroom, and an auto body building with a lab containing superior air purification equipment, a laser device for measuring frame damage, and a Garmat Paint Station.



As the only campus with its own parts department and live service desk both run by students, students gain communication skills performing live work on faculty, staff and student vehicles.