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Hero International (HIT), part of India’s Hero Motors Company (HMC), has announced plans to add a new e-cycle assembly line within its manufacturing facility in Manchester.
The assembly line will produce high-end, IoT enabled electric cycles and push bikes for customers in the UK and EU and forms part of a £150 million group-wide investment.
It is expected to be operational by August 2022 and produce 50,000 bikes over three years and scale up to a capacity of 30,000 bikes annually. Jobs will also be created by the development in Manchester.
Pankaj Munjal, chairman and managing director, HMC 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.”
The new assembly line is part of Hero Cycles’ Global Design Centre (HGD) in Manchester. It will produce smart bikes that understand the user with the help of advanced technologies such as IoT and Google services integration along with industry-leading anti-theft systems and advanced telematics.
Tim Newns, CEO of Midas, Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency, said: “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.”
With the new assembly line becoming operational, several international brands, currently manufactured in Hero Cycle’s advanced facilities in India, will be manufactured locally in Manchester.
Hero said it 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.
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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 four 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.
