The massive 2000 merger between financial giants JP Morgan & Co. Inc. and The Chase Manhattan Corp. not only yielded a powerhouse in the banking industry, it also created an organization that's a global competitor with operations in 1,500-plus facilities housing 90,000 employees in more than 60 countries.
The new firm conducts business in two broad spheres of activity: global financial services, provided to business enterprises, institutions, and affluent individual investors; and retail banking.
The biggest challenge for the company's facilities professionals is keeping close tabs on what buildings look like, how they are set up, and what sort of maintenance and upkeep is needed.
Melton Spivak, a vice president, says facilities managers rely on detailed databases and photo imaging programs that can bring up current building layouts, blueprints, and other facts for any of the 1,500 facilities under the JP Morgan Chase umbrella. "The technology is great," he adds. "We can see everything from office plans to elevations from our desktops."
