For nearly four decades, Mr Raghuveer Kini has been at the forefront of India’s export and industrial development ecosystem. Having led organizations such as PLEXCONCIL ( Plastics Export Promotion Council), PHARMEXCIL (Pharma EPC), Medical Devices (EPC) and CHEMEXCIL (Chemicals/Dyes & Others), he has witnessed India’s transformation from a cost-competitive manufacturing destination to a globally respected supplier of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and medical technologies.
Today, as Director (on the Board of Directors) of Federation of Industries of India (FII), he brings a unique perspective on innovation, international competitiveness, regulatory evolution, and the future of India’s healthcare industry.
In this exclusive interaction with Hello Pharma, he shares insights on the opportunities and challenges that will define India’s next phase of growth.
Having worked across pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and medical devices for several decades, how have you seen India’s healthcare manufacturing ecosystem evolve over the years?
The transformation has been remarkable.
When India began establishing its global presence, the industry’s primary competitive advantage was affordability. Indian manufacturers demonstrated that they could produce quality products at significantly lower costs than many developed economies. This capability helped India emerge as a trusted supplier of generic medicines and pharmaceutical intermediates.
That position has only strengthened with time. India today is the largest supplier of generic medicines globally, accounting for roughly one in five generic doses consumed worldwide and supplying a substantial share of the medicines used in the United States, the United Kingdom, and across Africa. When affordable treatment reaches a patient in a low-income market, there is a strong probability that the molecule was manufactured in India. That is a responsibility as much as it is an achievement.
However, the narrative today is fundamentally different.
India has evolved from being merely a low-cost manufacturing destination to becoming a strategic global healthcare partner. We are now witnessing substantial investments in advanced manufacturing technologies, automation, digital quality systems, biologics, specialty chemicals, and sophisticated medical devices.
What is particularly encouraging is the industry’s growing emphasis on innovation, compliance, and sustainability. International buyers today are evaluating suppliers not only on cost but also on reliability, regulatory maturity, supply chain resilience, and environmental responsibility.
India’s healthcare manufacturing ecosystem is increasingly capable of competing on all these parameters, which positions us strongly for the future.
Global supply chains have undergone significant disruption in recent years. What lessons should Indian healthcare manufacturers take from these developments?
The biggest lesson is that resilience has become as important as efficiency.
For many years, global supply chains were optimized primarily around cost reduction. While this model delivered economic benefits, recent disruptions exposed vulnerabilities related to geographic concentration, raw material dependencies, logistics bottlenecks, and geopolitical uncertainties.
The pandemic offered India’s most instructive example. In the early weeks of COVID-19, we were importing personal protective equipment because domestic capacity for medical-grade PPE was almost non-existent. Within a matter of months, a coordinated effort across industry, textile manufacturers, regulators, and policymakers built an entirely new supply chain from the ground up. India moved from being a net importer to the second-largest producer of PPE kits in the world, and began exporting to other countries. That episode demonstrated something important: when the ecosystem aligns around a clear objective, Indian industry can compress years of capability building into a few quarters.
The same capability was visible in vaccines. India manufactured and supplied COVID-19 vaccines to more than a hundred countries, many of them nations with no domestic production capacity of their own. It reinforced India’s standing not merely as a supplier of volume but as a partner in global health security during a period when very few countries were in a position to help others.
Healthcare products occupy a unique position because they directly impact patient outcomes. Therefore, continuity of supply becomes a strategic imperative.
Indian companies must now focus on developing diversified sourcing strategies, strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities, investing in digital supply chain visibility, and building stronger risk management frameworks.
We are also seeing global customers actively seeking reliable alternative sourcing destinations. This creates a significant opportunity for India. Organizations that can demonstrate consistency, transparency, quality assurance, and operational resilience will emerge as preferred partners in the evolving global supply chain landscape.
Innovation is often discussed in the context of research and product development. How do you define innovation for the broader healthcare industry?
Innovation should not be viewed narrowly as a laboratory activity.
True innovation extends across the entire value chain.
A company may innovate through process optimization, manufacturing excellence, digital transformation, sustainable production practices, regulatory intelligence, packaging solutions, or patient-centric delivery mechanisms.
In pharmaceuticals, for example, innovations in formulation science, continuous manufacturing, and quality-by-design approaches can create substantial value. In medical devices, innovation often lies in usability, affordability, and accessibility. In chemicals, sustainability and green chemistry are becoming major innovation drivers.
One of the strengths of India’s industrial ecosystem is its ability to develop practical, scalable, and commercially viable solutions. Going forward, I believe innovation will increasingly be measured by its ability to improve outcomes, enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and expand access to healthcare.
Regulatory expectations continue to become more stringent worldwide. How should Indian manufacturers prepare for this increasingly complex environment?
Regulatory excellence must become part of an organization’s culture rather than being treated as a compliance exercise.
Global regulators are placing greater emphasis on data integrity, quality systems, traceability, risk management, and lifecycle oversight. At the same time, customers are demanding higher levels of transparency and accountability.
India’s track record here is often underappreciated. Our country has the highest number of US FDA-approved manufacturing facilities outside the United States, a position built over decades of sustained investment in quality infrastructure and inspection readiness. This did not happen by accident. It reflects a generation of companies that chose to build for the most demanding regulatory markets rather than the easiest ones, and it is the single strongest credential India carries into any global sourcing conversation.
The most successful companies are those that integrate quality into every stage of their operations.
This requires investments in training, digital systems, robust documentation practices, process validation, and continuous improvement methodologies. Organizations should also proactively monitor evolving international regulations rather than reacting to them after implementation.
India has already demonstrated strong regulatory capabilities across many sectors. The next step is to institutionalize a culture where quality, compliance, and operational excellence become intrinsic business values. Such an approach not only reduces regulatory risk but also strengthens global competitiveness.
Sustainability is becoming a key discussion point across industries. How important is sustainability for the future of healthcare exports?
Sustainability is no longer optional. It is rapidly becoming a market expectation.
International customers, investors, and regulators are increasingly evaluating environmental, social, and governance performance alongside traditional business metrics. This trend is particularly evident in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and medical devices.
Manufacturers are being expected to reduce carbon emissions, improve resource efficiency, adopt cleaner technologies, manage waste responsibly, and ensure ethical business practices throughout their value chains.
The encouraging aspect is that sustainability and competitiveness are not mutually exclusive. In many cases, sustainable practices improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, strengthen brand reputation, and enhance market access.
India has an opportunity to position itself as a global leader in responsible manufacturing. Companies that embrace sustainability proactively will be better equipped to secure long-term growth in international markets.
As Director of FII, what is your vision for strengthening India’s position in the global healthcare and life sciences landscape?
India stands at a pivotal moment.
The country possesses a unique combination of scientific talent, entrepreneurial energy, manufacturing capabilities, regulatory expertise, and a rapidly growing innovation ecosystem. These strengths provide a strong foundation for global leadership.
My vision is centered around creating stronger linkages between innovation, industry, academia, policymakers, and international markets. We must encourage deeper collaboration across stakeholders to accelerate technology adoption, promote knowledge exchange, and support globally competitive enterprises.
The future will belong to organizations that can combine innovation with execution, quality with speed, and growth with sustainability.
India has already established itself as a trusted contributor to global healthcare. The next phase is about becoming a global innovation and value creation hub. If we continue investing in capability building, talent development, advanced technologies, and international partnerships, I am confident that India’s healthcare sector will play an even more influential role in shaping the future of global health.
About the guest | Mr Raghuveer Kini
Mr. Raghuveer Kini brings nearly four decades of experience at the intersection of Indian industry, international trade, and export development. Having led key industry bodies including PLEXCONCIL, PHARMEXCIL, the Medical Devices Export Promotion Council, and CHEMEXCIL, he has played a close observer and active contributor to India’s emergence as a globally trusted supplier of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, plastics, and medical technologies.
Today, as a Director on the Board of Directors of the Federation of Industries of India (FII), he continues to contribute to conversations around industrial growth, global competitiveness, innovation, regulatory evolution, and the future of India’s healthcare and life sciences sector. His cross-sector experience offers a distinctive perspective on the opportunities, challenges, and strategic shifts shaping India’s next phase of global growth.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the interviewees and are based on their professional experience in pharmaceutical engineering and sterile manufacturing. They do not necessarily reflect the official views, policies, or positions of Hello Pharma, its management, or its affiliates. Hello Pharma does not endorse or take responsibility for any specific technical, commercial, or regulatory interpretations presented in this article. Readers are encouraged to independently evaluate the information shared, review applicable regulatory guidance, and rely on their own experience, expertise, and professional judgment before making decisions related to equipment selection, system design, validation strategy, or regulatory compliance.
