BASF Coatings Spa and Honda Italia Industriale Spa have signed a supply contract for electrocoating (e-coating) products and products for coating plastic add-on parts. Honda motorcycles and scooters in Europe and North America are now coated with BASF Coatings’ paints. Honda Italia Industriale is the Italian subsidiary of Honda Motor Co, the world’s largest motorcycle producer. With 800 employees and an annual turnover of €764 million, Honda Italia alone accounts for 40% of the brand’s motorcycle sales in Europe.

The contract covers the supply of e-coating products for the new coating line for motorcycle frames, which started operation in March 2006. The coating line is located at the Atessa site (Chieti province), where 160,000 motorcycles are produced for the European and U.S. market each year. The coating line’s 25-cubic-meter tank now contains only BASF Coatings’ products. This is where the frames of all Honda motorcycle models are coated.