Yunus Bilakhia and Family

Meril Life Sciences went from printing inks to cardiovascular devices. The distance between the two businesses is not as large as it sounds; both require precision manufacturing.

The Bilakhia family built Meril Life Sciences from origins in printing inks into a medical device company with over 10,000 employees and products distributed across 150 countries. Yunus Bilakhia and the next generation, Shahid, Shahbaz and Jakir Bilakhia, have developed a portfolio spanning cardiovascular devices, orthopaedics, endoscopy and diagnostics, manufacturing products in India that are sold to hospitals and healthcare systems globally at prices that compete with established multinational medical device companies.

Medical devices is a sector where India has historically been heavily dependent on imports, and Meril's investment in domestic manufacturing for technically complex products contributes to the government's broader goal of reducing that dependence. The company's ability to sell in 150 countries reflects both the quality of its manufacturing and its investment in international regulatory approvals and distribution relationships across markets with very different procurement processes. The MAA Foundation's education and skills work in Gujarat reflects a family presence in their home region that extends beyond the manufacturing facilities the business operates there.