Close X
Friday, November 15, 2024
ADVT 
National

O.P. Munjal, Father Of Indian Cycle Industry, Passes Away

The Canadian Press, 13 Aug, 2015 02:25 PM
    The 86-year-old Munjal was admitted to the Hero Heart Institute at the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital where he passed away.
     
    Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal hailed Munjal's "immense contribution in helping Ludhiana emerge on the industrial map of the world through Hero cycles".
     
    He said Munjal was into several philanthropic causes, including schools and colleges to help the needy.
     
    "Punjab has lost one of its illustrious sons, who would be ever remembered for his hard work and dedication," the chief minister said. 
     
    "It is a huge personal loss for me but I am sure the life of this great entrepreneur of Punjab will act as a source of inspiration for the coming generations to work zealously for attaining any goal," he added.
     
    After a humble beginning in 1944 when Munjal was a dealer of bicycle spare parts in Amritsar with his brothers, he became one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in the world, scripting a fascinating success story.
     
    The Hero Cycles factory was set up in 1956 in Ludhiana with a capacity to produce 25 cycles a day. It now makes nearly 19,500 cycles daily.
     
    Listed in the 'Guinness Books of World Records' in 1986 as the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world, Hero Cycles commands nearly 40 percent of market share in India's cycle market.
     
    Even in this era of fast and fancy cars, jet-setting tycoons and technology-driven communication, Munjal didn't use his mobile phone, never sent an email and didn't believe in conference calls. 
     
    In her biography of Munjal, author and motivational speaker Priya Kumar says that the Munjals began by selling cycle parts, with O.P. -- who had only passed Class 10 -- given the daunting task of going from city to city to collect orders. 
     
    He travelled in third class rail compartments and stayed in the cheapest hotels. At one time, 80 percent of their business shut down due to poor quality of cycle parts supplied to them. 
     
    The brothers took loans from family and friends to start all over again.
     
    It was then Punjab chief minister Pratap Singh Kairon who told one of the brothers to start assembling cycles -- instead of dealing in cycle parts. 
     
    The Hero brand then became Hero Cycles, to take on giants such as Raleigh and Hercules. It never looked back.
     
    But despite his success, Munjal remained a humble man. Till the very end, he continued to pay respect to his elder brothers by touching their feet.
     
    Once when he realized that the quality of his cycles needed to be upgraded to match global standards, Munjal halted production and recalled all unsold cycles, replacing them with the superior version. 
     
    Hero Cycles, in Japanese style, had no warehouses. As soon as the day's production got over, the cycles were loaded onto trucks for different destinations.
     
    Faced with a truck drivers strike once, Munjal ordered buses to transport his cycles.
     
    But Munjal was a taskmaster. He had no tolerance for mediocrity. He never took no for an answer.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Globe-Trotting HitchBot Returning To Canada For Possible Rebuild

    Globe-Trotting HitchBot Returning To Canada For Possible Rebuild
    The hitchhiking robot that became a social media darling as it documented its travels throughout the world likely hasn't taken its last ride, its co-creators said Wednesday.

    Globe-Trotting HitchBot Returning To Canada For Possible Rebuild

    MADD P.E.I. Chapter President Resigns After Impaired Driving Charges

    MADD P.E.I. Chapter President Resigns After Impaired Driving Charges
    The president of a Prince Edward Island chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada has resigned after being charged with impaired driving, the organization's CEO said Wednesday.

    MADD P.E.I. Chapter President Resigns After Impaired Driving Charges

    Surrey Youth Soccer Club Suspended Over Allegations Of Financial Irregularities

    Surrey Youth Soccer Club Suspended Over Allegations Of Financial Irregularities
    Outgoing club head Garry Sangha says the move boils down to other clubs vying for access to the area's up-and-coming players and their registration dollars.

    Surrey Youth Soccer Club Suspended Over Allegations Of Financial Irregularities

    Police Say Suspects May Have Been Burned While Setting Surrey House On Fire

    Police Say Suspects May Have Been Burned While Setting Surrey House On Fire
    Police believe there's a connection between a house fire and a vehicle blaze half a block away in a Surrey, B.C., neighbourhood

    Police Say Suspects May Have Been Burned While Setting Surrey House On Fire

    Lilly Singh AKA Superwoman Nominated For 2015 Teen Choice Awards

    Lilly Singh AKA Superwoman Nominated For 2015 Teen Choice Awards
    Indian-Canadian comedienne Lilly Singh has earned a nomination in the "2015 Teen Choice Awards" to be held in Los Angeles on August 16, a media report said.

    Lilly Singh AKA Superwoman Nominated For 2015 Teen Choice Awards

    Sascha Hedrich Identified As A Man Killed In Highway 1 Tour Bus Collision

    Sascha Hedrich Identified As A Man Killed In Highway 1 Tour Bus Collision
    CHASE, B.C. — British Columbia's coroners service has identified the man who died in last week's collision involving a tour bus on a notorious section of the Trans-Canada Highway.

    Sascha Hedrich Identified As A Man Killed In Highway 1 Tour Bus Collision