Hero Cycles to open Manchester assembly line, invites partners

The world’s largest (by volume) bike maker, Hero Cycles, is to further its presence in Manchester with the opening of an assembly line for its electric bikes.

Open by the august of this year, an ambitious target of 50,000 electric bikes assembled in the first three years has been outlined in a press statement that points to a long-term vision to build 30,000 units annually in the UK.

The assembly line will see several of Hero Cycles’ brands currently built in India now with localised assembly, but perhaps more interesting is that the assembly lines will be available to external brands in the UK and Europe to take advantage of.

Hero is also throwing its doors open to any UK and European Brand owners which are seeking a JIT Lean supply chain solution for their products to support the “Made in the UK, Sold to the World” initiative and create a significant number of direct and indirect employment opportunities for local people, wrote the manufacturing giant.

The new e-cycle assembly line in Trafford Park will produce high-end, IoT enabled electric cycles and push bikes for customers in the UK and EU. As a result, numerous jobs are soon to be created, adding to those already present in the area at the Manchester research and development hub that opened several years ago.

Mr Pankaj Munjal, Chairman, and Managing Director, HMC, a Hero Motors Company said: “We are excited to expand our capabilities in Manchester to  locally produce technologically advanced cycles and e-cycles that are extremely efficient, low-carbon personal mobility solutions. Our new facility will enhance the cost competitiveness of our products in the UK and the European region, making them more affordable; it will boost local innovation and exports from the UK. With our integrated ecosystem of Global Design Centres, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities across geographies and strategic partnerships for R&D, Hero International will become a leading cycle and e-cycles maker by 2025.”

Tim Newns, CEO of Midas, Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency added: “It’s fantastic news that Hero Cycles is further contributing to Greater Manchester’s commitment to a carbon-neutral future, thanks to its expansion in Manchester. Forward-thinking innovators such as Hero Cycles are leading the way in showcasing the world-class capabilities within the city-region for advanced manufacturing.”

Hero Cycles currently operates two Global Design Centres in Manchester and in Berlin, while its E-cycle Valley in the Indian state of Punjab is one of the largest integrated cycle manufacturing facilities in the world with a capacity of 4 million annually. Hero Motors also has a JV with Yamaha Motors, HYM Drive Systems and an MoU with Mitsui and Yamaha Motors to launch Centre Motor E-Cycles.

Hero Cycles is a part of the HMC Group with a $1.2 bn asset base and over 10,000 people across the globe.