MOTORCYLE DIARIES
A RIDE TO REMEMBER
As the world’s largest two-wheeler motorcycle manufacturer, with a 46 per cent market share in India, Hero has been constantly setting new benchmarks with its products. It is the first company in India to introduce four-stroke motorcycles and set the gold standard for fuel efficiency, emission control and quality.
The journey began in 1944 when Brijmohan Lall Munjal and his brothers started a bicycle spare parts business in Amritsar, but Partition slowed down business. Munjal shifted operations to Ludhiana, where he got a licence from the Punjab government to set up a cycle factory—Hero Cycles. By 1975, Hero Cycles had become the largest bicycle manufacturer in India. In 1984, the company forged an alliance with Honda Motor Company to venture into the motorcycle business. One of the early flag-bearers of the Make in India campaign, the company has globally benchmarked manufacturing facilities in Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haridwar.
The company has lined up Rs 2,500 crore for new product development, digitisation, capacity installation and expansion, upgrade and modernisation of plant machinery. It will also be focusing on premium segment bikes and scooters as well as cost reduction to ensure top-line and bottom-line growth. Hero Motorcorp has also set up a Centre of Innovation and Technology in Jaipur from where its new product line will roll out in the next three to four years.