From villages to cities, once upon a time cycle used to be a ride of pride. Neither the cost of filling petrol-diesel, nor the affair of servicing. It is still widely used. Cycling is also beneficial for health. Today roads have been built in every village, but after independence, when even the roads in the cities were not in good condition, people did not have a lot of money, then the cycle was the only companion.
In those times of bullock carts and horse cartsJanaki Das Kapoor’ Made the life of common people easier through two wheeler ride ‘Cycle’. The name of his company was Atlas. The same Atlas, which later became another name for the bicycle. There was a time when Atlas saw the sky of heights and then within 70 years there came such a time that the company fell to the floor. In today’s Brand Story, know the story of ‘Atlas’.
This is how the foundation of the company was laid and the car started running
In the year 1951, Janki Das Kapoor started the Atlas Cycle Company. Then he used to make bicycle seat in a tin shed. He dreamed of making such a cycle, which could come in the budget of the people. This is how the foundation of Atlas Cycle Industries was laid. In 1952, the company produced the first bicycle. In the same year the factory expanded and work started on 25 acres. In the first year 12000 cycles were produced and thus the Atlas vehicle started running.
In 1958, Atlas stepped into the international market and the company started exporting cycles from Myanmar, Middle East countries to South Africa. In 1961, the company made a record of producing one million cycles and by 1965, it had become the largest cycle manufacturing company in the country. By 2004, Atlas Cycles was being exported to 50 countries.
This is how the company reached the heights
The popularity of Atlas grew in such a way that detergent used to mean surf, toothpaste used to mean Colgate, similarly bicycle means Atlas. Initially, the company making basic models launched Rebel Cycle in the market after making a household name. It was marketed as an adventure bike.
And then came the era, after that came the era of gear cycle. The Atlas company also launched the 10-geared Atlas Concorde. In 1978, Atlas launched India’s first racing bicycle, which made the company the official supplier of the 1982 Delhi Asian Games. Atlas was the first company in India to introduce twin suspension double shocker bike and power brakes.
Company came to the floor from Arsh
The company’s founder Janki Das Kapoor had passed away in January 1967, after which his three sons were handling the business. Then in the 2000s, a dispute started between those three brothers and their sons regarding real estate. In this way the Atlas Cycle Company was divided into three divisions. In such a situation, the company started going into loss.
Another reason behind going into loss was the increase in the purchasing capacity of the people. Cyclists began to be able to buy motorcycles. At the same time, the competition in the market also increased. In this way the company kept coming down.
The company was continuously incurring losses. Meanwhile, in 2014, the Atlas factory in Malanpur, Madhya Pradesh was shut down. After that all its factories were closed one by one. On June 3 in 2020, the company also closed the last factory located in Sahibabad, Delhi-NCR, which was the company’s largest plant in the country. The company is facing shortage of funds. The people associated with it and the customer families are also hopeful that the company will stand up once again.
Get the more Knowledge information
