The power of outsourcing: by branching out, companies can streamline their internal machine. (Spotlight).

Maximize resources and get the highest return on company investments. Mexican executives are looking to realize those fundamental business maxims through a tactic relatively new to the region--outsourcing.

Outsourcing, which is the farming out of non-core business activities to an external organization, was addressed by industry leaders in a conference held in late October by the AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MEXICO.

Robert Rodriguez, a consultant for Grupo Rimon, stressed the numerous advantages to be exploited through outsourcing, namely a business' ability to make itself more efficient and dynamic. Outsourcing has become a fundamental part of doing business today, Rodriguez said, and companies must explore the possibilities of improvement presented by it.

Times have changed from the strict, top-down command structure, Rodriguez said, as today a wide array of departments work together to make companies function.

According to Rodriguez, at its best, outsourcing has allowed companies to gain better control over their operations, streamline their expenses and provide their customers with optimum service. Despite these advantages, companies have to watch their backs and be aware of the implicit contract they are entering--both in terms of cost and shared responsibility--when they decide to outsource.

Representing another of the four companies participating in the October forum was Alfonso Alba, the general director of Toptel, and he recognized the ability of outsourcing to reduce costs, better satisfy clients and perfect services.

Companies contracted for outsourcing are inherently experts in their fields, Alba said, and have specialized infrastructures that can provide needed relief for overstressed companies. Outsourcing allows companies to bypass problematic internal infrastructure and streamline their operations effectively. It also allows specialists within the company to concentrate on their strengths, rather than perform tasks outside their realm of expertise, a burdensome requirement which Alba equated with throwing a wrench into what would otherwise be a well-functioning machine.

Before the idea of outsourcing came along, the Toptel director said, companies didn't enjoy optimum connections with their clients. Now, however, connections are much improved and companies have better control over their operations. Instead of trying to run in all directions at once, companies are focusing on what their principal business was in the beginning.