Italian Jobs

For TCS the challenge of associating with Ferrari was hugely attractive. Executive VP N. Chandrasekharan, who led the negotiations, told Outlook: "It was not about revenues, but about doing things at a very advanced stage. Our guys would get to work on new engine designs." Since building the engine and getting it to the market is based on the race cycle, deadlines are "extremely stringent". They've to be innovative as well as rigorous. After every race, the car spits out tonnes of data, which has to be interpreted accurately.

There was "a very good connect" from day one as the two sides met. Once the agreement was signed, Pitchiah and others headed to Italy. Calabrese was impressed when TCS hired Italian instructors on its own to give language training to the team. It's not easy for Indian companies to break into the European market, which is more "relationship-oriented" than the American market. But once in, the European experience can be more friendly and accommodating.

The relationship is blooming, it seems. "They are not an appendix of Ferrari, but a part of our team," says Calabrese. The motto at Ferrari is teamwork, because if one fails, another player can support you. "We don't want cowboys," the chief says emphatically. For its part, the Ferrari management has accepted TCS like family—their photos are featured in the glossy company report for 2006, and the cafeteria sometimes includes Indian dishes. As for TCS, the team has blended well in Maranello, where anything and everything is about Ferrari. Their families have adapted to the Italian way of life, even learning how to ski in the winter. As we sit down to lunch at a nice restaurant—bathed in red and decorated with helmets and car engines—Pitchiah, Rajiv and Kannan dig into tagliatelli in cream sauce and rice with balsamic vinegar with ease. And yes, a glass of vino rosso completes the gastronomical experience. You can say cheers to that.