Partially assembled motorcycles from Hero Honda Motors in Haryana, India (about 43 miles southwest of New Delhi), can be exposed to five weeks of hot, humid weather before they reach Honda dealers in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South America. The packaged parts suffer through salt air, fluctuations in temperature and humidity, leaks and condensation during their ocean voyage, all of which can speed the onset of corrosion.
Until 1997, Hero Honda was using an Indian-made corrosion-inhibiting paper to protect the motorcycle parts it manufactures from harsh ocean conditions. But the parts were still arriving at Honda dealers damaged by corrosion. V. K. Srivastava, assistant general manager, contacted distributor Zavenir Coated Products (New Delhi, India) to find better protection for its motorcycle parts.
