Cologne/Haiger - A cargo bike that is fast and manoeuvrable, that can easily be taken on the train and parked in a normal bicycle cellar - thanks to its compact design, the muli is ideal for everyday use in the city. For welding, muli-cycles GmbH in Cologne relies on an automated solution from CLOOS. Thanks to the flexible design of the system and the use of various welding processes such as MoTion Weld and Vari Weld, the robot can weld different steel and aluminium components with consistently high quality.
An alternative to the car
"Our bikes are compact and can easily transport large loads," says Jonas Gerhardt, who runs the start-up company together with his brother Sören Gerhardt. "We want to get more people excited about cycling and drive cars further out of city centres." They began developing the muli in 2015. Sören Gerhardt was about to complete his master's degree in product design at the time. Industrial mechanic Jonas Gerhardt, who had completed his apprenticeship and first years of work at CLOOS, was currently training as a technician. "Our aim was to offer an alternative to the car and to transfer the benefits of large cargo bikes to a compact bike," explains Jonas Gerhardt. "We then designed and built the first prototypes. The riding experience was so great that we kept tinkering with it."
As there was initially a lack of start-up capital, the two brothers launched a very successful crowdfunding campaign, in which they more than doubled their funding target. This project then gave rise to muli-cycles GmbH in 2017, which initially produced in Driedorf in the Westerwald. The company relocated to Cologne at the beginning of 2021. The muli is now firmly established on the market and is considered a pioneer in the compact cargo bike segment. The Gerhardt brothers are continuously developing their cargo bike, not least out of personal motivation. "We both have small children who we cycle around the city every day," explains Jonas Gerhardt. This is why, for example, the muli is now the first cargo bike with an optional hammock seating system that can be integrated in both directions of travel.
Focus on sustainability
"Our customers really appreciate the fact that we have committed ourselves to the ideal of sustainability with the concept, production and the entire business model of muli-cycles," emphasises Jonas Gerhardt. "This enables us to guarantee fair working conditions and high environmental, social and quality standards." The production of the muli - from frame manufacture to powder coating and final assembly - takes place entirely in Germany. The Cologne-based company also relies on local suppliers.
In the first year, Jonas Gerhardt built the bikes himself. The company now employs 16 full-time and nine part-time employees in various areas. The sales network now includes almost 100 specialist dealers around the world. "The boom is huge," says a delighted Jonas Gerhardt. "We can barely keep up with production." Since its foundation in 2017, the company has grown by more than 100 per cent every year, meaning that it now produces bikes in the 4-digit range every year.