Lord of the Links

Wipro is gung-ho about implementing Toyota's efficiency in its assembly line in its BPO units. Beginning from arranging "workers" on a long table as in an assembly line, with water coolers placed at hand to reduce time spent on it, to paying more attention on kaizen, or employee suggestions to drive efficiency.

This infatuation with Toyota-like efficiency now permeates India's tech-services industry. The Indian companies see a kindred spirit in the Japanese auto maker. Like them, Toyota was forced to claw its way into a global business with low prices and a passion for quality. Such commitment is the key to becoming the back office for hundreds of Western companies, hastening the transfer of many thousands of jobs offshore. "If the Indians get this right, in addition to their low labor rates, they can become deadly competition," says Jeffrey K. Liker, a business professor at the University of Michigan and author of The Toyota Way, about Toyota's lean manufacturing techniques.