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Wödmasta: Our man for Frankfurt 2021
The world painting champion will be crowned in Frankfurt next fall. KFZ Wirtschaft visited the man who is running for Austria: Günter Blümel.
Wödmasta: Our man for Frankfurt 2021
“This is a great honor for me,” says Günter Blümel, master plumber, painter and coppersmith from Vienna-Floridsdorf, with a mixture of pride and humility. AkzoNobel asked him if he would like to represent Austria at the Body & Paint World Championships. The international painter competition will take place as part of Automechanika, the grand international finale is scheduled for September 14th to 18th, 2021.
For the first time, the trade fair, which was postponed by a year due to Corona, is listing the paint and bodywork department as an independent area. The international Body & Paint competition was launched as a big kickoff. The main prize is a four-day trip for two people to one of Messe Frankfurt's global events. The participants each have to design a bonnet; the design should be based on the culture of the host country, in this case Germany.
“Unfortunately I can’t draw at all”
And this is where Blümel comes into play: With his contribution, he is supposed to create a connection between Austria and Germany or Vienna and Frankfurt. Various techniques should be used. The master already has an idea of his design, but is still keeping it secret. Meanwhile, he revealed the chosen hood to KFZ Wirtschaft: it comes from a 7 Series Golf. “It’s nicely rounded,” says Blümel, explaining his choice.
He'll be surprised by the World Cup, but he doesn't want to come last. The man is also modest in other ways: “Unfortunately, I can’t draw or paint at all,” he says. To put it bluntly, he couldn't even draw a stick figure. That's why he has to choose his designs so that he can score points with what he's really good at and what ultimately matters: the actual painting technique.
Blümel has made a name for himself with the family business founded by his grandfather (his two sons have also been in the workshop for a long time). For example in the biker scene, where he individually designs Harley-Davidson tanks. The company has been cooperating with AkzoNobel for almost 50 years. The car repair and paint shop employs a total of five people, almost all of whom come from the Blümel family.
As for many companies, the current year is challenging for Blümel: “We are fighting against red numbers,” says Günter Blümel. During the lockdown there was only emergency operation. Interesting detail: At that time it was noticeable that people had time for hobbies, because Blümel was increasingly receiving orders to paint model vehicles and airplanes.