THE MAKING OF HERO CYCLES

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THE JOURNEY OF CYCLING HEROES

Om  Prakash Munjal  born in 26 August 1928  was an Indian businessman, poet and philanthropist. He was the founder and chairman of Hero Cycles.

Om started Hero Cycles with a capital of Rs.50,000 in 1956 raised as a bank loan. The rise of the company attracted indigenous talent in the form of skilled engineers, technocrats, administrators and entrepreneurs who helped in building an ancillary industry around the bicycle industry.

Hero Cycles was established in 1956 in Ludhiana Punjab manufacturing bicycle components. Today, Hero Cycles is one of the world's largest manufacturers of bicycles, producing 18390 cycles per day. Hero Cycles Ltd. is part of Hero Motors Company. In 2016 Hero cycles exported to over 70 countries world-wide. The company is ISO9001 & ISO14001 certified from BVC of UK and recognized  by the R&D department of the Govt. of India.

In 1986, Hero Cycles entered the ‘Guinness Books of World Records as the largest bicycle manufacturer in the World, for being the single largest producer of bicycles and  producing around 19000   cycles a day.  Hero Cycles is the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world.

Om Prakash Munjal continued to serve as the Chairman of Hero Cycles and group companies. He has also served as the president of the All India Cycle Manufacturers’ Association multiple times.

The credit for bringing about the bicycle revolution in India often goes to OM PRAKASH MUNJAL,   the  founder  and Co-Chairman of Hero Cycles. Also known as the Father Of Indian Cycle Industry, Om  Prakash  Munjal  passed away on 13^th August 2015 at the age of 86.

The company acts in part as a white label manufacturer to various brands, in addition to selling motorcycles under the Hero and UT (formerly Urbantrail) brands. Hero Cycles bought the Firefox bicycle brand in 2015.

In 2015,by buying a majority stake in Auocet sports one of the top three distributors of bicycles, e-bikes, bicycle parts and accessories in the UK, Hero Cycles marks its entry into the high-value cycle market in Europe.

Hero Cycles Limited is the largest integrated cycle manufacturer in the world. The company has a manufacturing capacity of 7.5 million bicycles per year, a highly integrated plant in Ludhiana (Punjab) Ghaziabad (UP), and Bihta (Bihar) and a state of the art manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka as well. In addition to the aforesaid, the group has a Design Centre in the UK and also owns UK-based Avocet Sports, HNF based in Germany, and Firefox Bikes in India. While Avocet Sports was Hero Cycles’ first overseas acquisition and marked the company’s entry into the European bicycle market, HNF helped Hero foraying into hi-end Electric Bicycles. Acquisition of Firefox Bikes on the other hand was a strategic move to cement its position in the fast-growing premium bicycling segment in India.

Hero Cycles is a leader in both the standard and premium segments in India, with an overall market share of nearly 43 percent. The company is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and the most modern machinery producing major bicycle components within its premise under stringent quality parameters complying with all global standards. Hero Cycles has a network of over 250 suppliers and 2800 dealerships in India and exports to various countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Hero’s unwavering passion of setting higher standards for itself and delivering simply the best, has found itself a place not only in the Guinness Book of World Records but also in the hearts of many- million satisfied customers.

Over the course of time, Hero Cycles has not only won the hearts of its million satisfied bikers but has also registered a spot for itself in the Guinness Book of World Records for its unwavering passion and excellence. From being a small-town success story to becoming one of the world’s largest bicycles manufacturers, Hero Cycles has exponentially grown by exploring the segment of basic as well as the premium bike segment across the world.

AWARDS AND HONORS:-

Om Prakash  Munjal has received recognition and honors from the former Presidents of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, V. V. Giri, Zail Singh  and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. He received the Udyog Rattan Award from Amrinder Singh for outstanding contribution towards economic development of the State.

Om Prakash  Munjal  also received the Samman Patra award for the contribution to exchequer of the state government, the Indira Gandhi National Unity award to recognize his social contribution and the Punjab Rattna award to commemorate his contribution to the state economy

Through sponsorship of kids exhibitions, cycle rally, Himalayan cycling expedition and other cycling events around the Worlds,Hero cycles actively promote cycling,as a part of a healthy lifestyle.

At present, India is one of the top bicycle manufacturing countries in the World.