Close X
Saturday, November 16, 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

    Province Affirms $7-Million Pledge For E&N Railway On Vancouver Island

    Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone says the province affirms funding to the Island Corridor Foundation to support the E&N rail line, which runs from the Victoria-area to Courtenay.

    Province Affirms $7-Million Pledge For E&N Railway On Vancouver Island

    People Unaccounted For In Quebec Fire; Reports Say One Dead

    People Unaccounted For In Quebec Fire; Reports Say One Dead
    DRUMMONDVILLE, Que. — An unknown number of people are unaccounted for after a fire in an apartment building in central Quebec.

    People Unaccounted For In Quebec Fire; Reports Say One Dead

    B.C. Premier Christy Clark Fears Raging Wildfires New Norm, Blames Climate Change

    WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — Relentless forest fires burning across British Columbia may be the new normal, Premier Christy Clark warned as she stood not far from a raging fire that threatened homes in her own riding.

    B.C. Premier Christy Clark Fears Raging Wildfires New Norm, Blames Climate Change

    Toronto Mayor John Tory Won't Rule Out Possible Future Olympic Bid

    TORONTO — The mayor of Toronto says the city now has sports facilities to host international competitions that could previously only be held in Vancouver, leaving the door open for a possible future Olympic bid.

    Toronto Mayor John Tory Won't Rule Out Possible Future Olympic Bid

    Mounties To Benefit From Latest Round Of Federal Cybersecurity Funding

    Mounties To Benefit From Latest Round Of Federal Cybersecurity Funding
    OTTAWA — An RCMP investigative team to combat high-priority cybercrime is among the initiatives that will benefit from more than $142 million in federal cybersecurity spending.

    Mounties To Benefit From Latest Round Of Federal Cybersecurity Funding

    Lost Little Dog Found 400 Kilometres Away From His Home In Manitoba

    Lost Little Dog Found 400 Kilometres Away From His Home In Manitoba
    WINNIPEG — A little dog who somehow escaped from his home in Roblin, Man., would probably have some amazing stories to tell if he could talk.

    Lost Little Dog Found 400 Kilometres Away From His Home In Manitoba