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On World Bicycle Day, iconic Atlas slams brakes on operations
Started by Janki Das Kapur, in 1951, to provide quality bicycles to countrymen at reasonable prices, Atlas was a brand to reckon with even before Hero and Avon established themselves
After years of losses that were amplified during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, Atlas Cycles, one of country’s oldest bike-maker, shut its operations on Wednesday.
Ironically, the company’s decision to wind up its last working unit in Sahibabad (Ghaziabad) came on the World Bicycle Day. The iconic cycle company was into manufacturing business since 1951. The Sahibabad unit has the capacity to manufacture more than 4 million cycles per annum with a 1,200-strong workforce.
“Post lifting of lockdown with effect from June 1, 2020, the Sahibabad unit of the company is not in a position to resume manufacturing operations due to financial constraints. Hence, the workforce of Sahibabad unit of the company will be laid off with effect from June 3, 2020, till adequate arrangement of funds is made,” the company said in a public notice.
The notice said the severe cash crunch has made it difficult to even procure raw materials. “The situation is expected to continue till the time, company is able to raise revenue,” it said.
In December 2014, company’s Malanpur factory in Madhya Pradesh closed down. In February 2018, Atlas Cycles (Haryana) said it was suspending manufacturing at its Sonepat unit with immediate effect.
Started by Janki Das Kapur, a man with dreams, in 1951, to provide quality bicycles to countrymen at reasonable prices, Atlas was a brand to reckon with even before Hero and Avon established themselves.
What started with an improvised factory shed in Sonepat in 1951, the company rose to establishing major plants in Malanpur (MP), Sahibabad over the years.
“They were the biggest importers of cycles in Karachi before Partition. After 1947, they shifted to Sonepat with a dream to start a unit and soon rose to become one of the most trusted cycle companies,” said SS Bhogal of Bhogal Cycles Limited in Ludhiana.
“It’s unfortunate that the cycle industry pioneers have shut down,” said DS Chawla, president of United Cycle Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA).
