PATHFINDERS
Commercial Design | September 2019 | 57A
s head of facilities
management and
employee engagement
group at :ipro '2 3, Bhalla is
a joint head of service delivery
across 11 locations in India along
with strategic business units
covering more than 45,000 users
nationwide. Coming from an IT
background, he has developed
synergies among delivery operations and facilities team
to provide best-in-class support services by bringing
technology into processes. Bhalla tabled an approach of
better coordination through sharing best practices and
ease of communication between different work groups.
Automation in this Àeld has helped his team gain user
conÀdence by enhancing the e[perience within facilities.
Be it central database of their assets, seats utilisation,
transport facility operations or energy and water
consumption, Bhalla has integrated systems to provide
dashboards for transparent discussions and effective
decision making.
+e shares, ́Facility management is no more a back-
end service support function in any organisation. It has
become an e[tended arm of business operations, wherein
the function itself has undergone a paradigm shift over the
years. Facilities have become more agile, Áe[ible and are
being developed based on unarticulated asks. They change
in light of unconventional ways of doing business. As one
of the key stakeholder in the organisation, FM department
now owns delivery of projects while improvising on user
e[perience.μ Bhalla foresees management structures
becoming leaner in times to come.OSCAR D’MELLO
Senior GM – Facilities (West), Network 18
NITTAN BHALLA
GM and head – Facilities Management Group,
Digital Operations & Processes, WiproD
’Mello has been consistently
working towards improving
energy efÀciency at 1 etwork 1
by bringing changes in the electrical panels
without major replacements, which has led
to 10-15% conservation. Transitioning and
integrating all sites under the same operating
system, e[panding internal preventive
maintenance programme, remodelling e[isting
properties, and updating the old deferred
operating system are some of the strategies that are adopted forbetter operational efÀciency.
The other steps that have taken the company closer to green
building management and sustainable FM are reduced water, energy
and material use improved indoor environmental Tuality increased use
of eco-preferable products increased reuse and recycling integrated
systems in buildings reduced environmental and energy impacts of
transportation and consideration of the building’s effects on health.
“The facility department is not only responsible for cost saving in
large organisations but also offers a forum to discuss issues pertaining
to energy, water and power conservation that can have long-term
beneÀts,μ adds '’Mello.