HEXIS PWS World PPF Competition

Mia Saker from Australia Wins First Place

by Ian Parsonson, Australia Managing Director, Hexis

Earlier this year, HEXIS SAS Head Office announced the inaugural Worldwide PPF Battle, designed to identify the best PPF installers from around the globe. The concept was simple: local competitions would be held in each country to select the best performers, who would then travel to the south of France for a Grand Final later in the year. For us, it was an exciting opportunity to showcase the quality and calibre of Australian installers, so we jumped on board enthusiastically.

 For several years, we have run the HEXIS Wrap Battle at Visual Impact and PacPrint, with four competitors going head-to-head in a ring to install a shield as quickly and cleanly as possible. The competition culminates in a final battle to find Australia’s best local wrapper. 

Getting installers to step up and compete has always been a challenge. Working in front of others, under time pressure and with your skills being judged, isn’t for everyone.

So, when the new PPF competition attracted fewer entrants than expected, I was initially concerned about whether it would deliver the level of competition we were hoping for. The event was held at the HEXIS training facility in Melbourne, without a live audience, but those concerns quickly disappeared once the competition began.

The standard was exceptional, and the competition was incredibly close. First and second place had to be separated by a countback on times, while third was only a few points behind. The remaining competitors were also within striking distance. It was then decided that Australia would send its top three installers to the World Final:

• Matt Jordan – Platinum Wraps, Mackay 
• Mia Saker – Blurred, Melbourne 
• Bo Grace – KBWraps, Griffith, NSW 

The World Final

HEXIS SAS set the World Final for late September and then began the enormous task of bringing 36 competitors from around the world together in one place. Flights, accommodation, meals, entertainment, event production, venues, vehicles, tools and equipment—all the logistics had to come together perfectly.

Hospitality is something HEXIS values highly, and they certainly delivered. From the opening dinner, with an incredible meal and spectacular sunset over the ocean at Sète, through to the final lunch following a guided factory tour, the feedback from competitors was overwhelmingly positive.

For those unable to travel to France, HEXIS also provided live Instagram coverage and a YouTube livestream of the competition. Here in Australia, that meant some very late nights and early mornings as we watched from the other side of the world, waiting to see who would emerge victorious.

 Two Days of Competition

 The final was held over two days, beginning with a series of one-on-one battles across four different areas of the vehicles.

Competitors were randomly matched for each round, meaning you could be battling a fellow Australian in one round and a German or American in the next. Points were awarded to the winner of each battle, with bonus points available for completing the work within the allocated time.

 The atmosphere was truly international, with French and English the most common languages but certainly not the only ones. The HEXIS team did an excellent job supporting communication across the many nationalities. Experience levels also varied enormously. Some competitors had more than a decade in the industry, while others, like our own Mia, were relative newcomers—she was only in her second year of her apprenticeship.

 None of that seemed to matter once the competition started.

The vehicles themselves added another challenge. A world-class PPF competition needed world-class cars, and HEXIS delivered, with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and other vehicles featuring complex shapes and challenging panels.

After an intense first day, everyone was exhausted and nervous. No positions were announced, leaving the leading competitors wondering whether their performances had been enough. Another fantastic dinner followed before everyone headed back to the hotel for some much-needed rest.

Day Two

Day two began with a little fun. The competitors were divided into country and regional teams and given just two hours to design and install a PPF wrap. There were some impressive creations ... and plenty of laughs.

One memorable moment came when the Danish MC walked past the Australian entry, looked at our design and commented, “Hmm, possibly a panda there.” It was, of course, a koala.

The group was then treated to a boat tour of Sète before the top individual finalists were announced.

Back at the competition after lunch, it was revealed that several competitors were tied for third and that a countback had determined the top six.

Mia Saker had outperformed the entire field and entered the Grand Final in first place. Matt also made the top six, qualifying for the “Petite Final” in fourth position. Bo finished comfortably in the top half of the field, once again doing himself and Australia proud.

The Grand Final

Then came the reveal of the final vehicles. After working on some impressive cars throughout the competition, the finalists probably thought they had seen it all ... they hadn't.

Four cars sat beneath black covers, with finalists choosing their vehicle in order of their preliminary-round ranking. The covers came off to reveal two Aston Martins and a Ferrari 490P—with an Aston Martin Valhalla valued at more than €1.5 million sitting in the centre of the room.

If the €10,000 first prize wasn't enough to create some nerves, being asked to install PPF on vehicles of this calibre and value certainly was.

The judges explained the final rules. Each competitor had to install a half bonnet and front bumper, front guard and one mirror, with the work judged on technical expertise and quality. Points would be deducted for every imperfection. They had just two hours. And there was one more surprise. The film being used for the final was the brand-new BODYXFAST Satin finish, which none of the competitors had used before. The mirror would also be completed using the new Candyfence colour ... have fun!

With the other 30 competitors watching, the entire HEXIS team—including founder Michel Mateu and his family—and a worldwide audience following along on YouTube, the pressure was immense.

 After two hours of intense competition, the “tools down” call finally came:

Everyone stepped away from their vehicles as HEXIS cleared the room, giving the finalists a chance to freshen up before the gala dinner, entertainment and, most importantly, the announcement of the winners. For those of us watching from Australia, it was going to be a long wait. With some of us still watching at 3am, the anticipation was almost unbearable.

And Then There Were Two

Everyone returned for the gala dinner, dressed for the occasion and ready for the final results. The placings were announced from sixth upwards.

Matt finished sixth. While he may have allowed the occasion and nerves to get the better of him on the final task, sixth in a field of 36 of the world's best installers is still an outstanding achievement ... Mia was still in contention.

The final scores began rolling across the big screen. Everyone held their breath as the numbers climbed. And then it was confirmed: Mia Saker was crowned the best PPF installer in the world.

A win for Australia, and for the industry 

Looking back over everything that had happened, one thing stood out to me: all three of our Australian competitors had invested in their skills through multiple HEXIS training courses.

 Mia, in particular, had completed HEXIS training before beginning her apprenticeship with Blurred. Over the past two years, she has also benefited from the experience, knowledge and training expertise within the Blurred team. That combination has clearly accelerated her development and helped take her skills to a world-class level.

Events like the HEXIS PWS World PPF Competition are important for our entire industry. They raise the profile of professional PPF installation, give installers something to aspire to and, most importantly, demonstrate that Australian installers are among the very best in the world.

Congratulations to Mia, Matt, and Bo for representing Australia on the world stage. 

We look forward to the next PWS event—and hopefully seeing even more Australian installers step up, compete and continue raising the standard across our industry.

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