【3D Panoscan News】Why is a leading North American bank using Matterport 3D Digital Twins?
BMO leverages Matterport’s digital twins to streamline sourcing efforts and ongoing branch projects across hundreds of locations
"After the acquisition of Bank of the West, we realized we needed a tool to replace multiple branch visits, so we brought in Matterport, and within a few months, we could virtually visit every branch. The initial intent was to use the digital twin 3D panoscan to assist with the rebranding initiative; however, as word of Matterport spread, other departments needing information about the branches could use the tool without having to visit in person." – Lisa Near, Project Manager, Physical Channels, Bank of the West (BOTW), BMO North America
Results
• Saved over $500,000 in 15 months by reducing travel and on-site visits
• Reclaimed 6,000 hours of required survey work
• Successfully rebranded 503 BOTW branches
• Growing demand for accessing the digital twin platform across departmental teams
• Centralized all BOTW asset repositories in one place on the Matterport platform
Previously, they relied on multiple on-site visits to each location to scope out the necessary design and technology updates. Critical documents like floor plans were often missing, creating early design hurdles. Typically, architects would be hired to travel to sites, manually measure, sketch, and then digitally draft floor plans, with turnaround times taking weeks or even months before initial design work could begin.
Of particular concern was BOTW's unique green brand color, requiring internal rebranding needs to be assessed at each location. While cost savings were a goal, time and resource efficiency were crucial to ensure properties reflected the BMO brand as back-end systems converted from BOTW to BMO, all without disrupting customer service.
BMO had previously dabbled in less extensive virtual tour products, so they turned to Matterport for a scalable, end-to-end solution; it offered enterprise-grade security, an elegant interface, a network of over 700 capture services technicians globally, design document exports, and the unparalleled 3D visual fidelity stakeholders needed.
"After the acquisition of BOTW, our deadlines were tight. By engaging Matterport to scan the BOTW branches at a lower cost, we eliminated multiple visits to branches by various teams and vendors, saving time and resources," said Lisa Near, Senior Manager, Process Improvement, BMO.
The BMO team configured a set of tiered design packages to allocate to each location, with some branches needing a complete interior brand overhaul, and others only requiring modest changes, such as painting green walls blue.
"The design managers actually set up Matterport quite often so that if we're looking at a proposed branch design, and the architect put a digital screen on one wall, but we don't like that location, we would all go look at the Matterport together and instantly make the decision, no, we don't want it here, we want it there," Lisa explained.
The technology team also desperately needed to identify equipment and network dependencies, such as an audit of all BOTW server rooms, telephone hardware, and computer stations. They could conduct surveys in Matterport instead of sending someone to the site. "In some cases, you can zoom in close enough and get asset tags, which is exciting!" Lisa added.
BMO utilized Matterport's design document exports to create a full asset complement in a fraction of the existing timeline. BOTW didn't have floor plans for every branch, but BMO could purchase a floor plan directly through their Matterport account for any branch they scanned. If commercial owners don't have CAD files, they can now also obtain these from Matterport. Lisa said, "We could send an architect out to draw it, but why not just send Matterport to get the scan, the floor plan, and the CAD file? We put in a capture services request, and within a week, Matterport scanned and uploaded it. We requested the floor plan document, and two days later, it moved locations. If we did it the traditional way, it could take up to a month."
Each branch was scanned twice, once to capture the existing condition and again after rebranding. While initially thinking they could only afford one scan per BOTW branch, they learned that for their budget, they could scan each branch before and after, with enough remaining funds to scan traditional BMO branches. Affordability spurred an expansion of scope, accelerating Matterport digital twin projects across the entire U.S. branch portfolio. "I think that surprised everyone," Lisa said.
As a team, the benefits of having full remote access to the physical environment of sites at any time had a huge impact on the project's success and supported BMO's corporate sustainability initiatives. All 500+ BOTW locations were captured within three months. The team reduced scheduling and travel time, as well as the number of disruptive branch visits, thereby eliminating redundant travel emissions across the BOTW footprint.
"Word quickly spread about this great 360-degree tool we had, and let me tell you, people came out of the woodwork," Lisa emphasized.
BMO used digital twins instead of multiple in-person site visits, reclaiming approximately 6,000 hours of survey time across 503 locations, roughly 12 hours per branch. BMO undertakes over 50 new branch projects annually, so the value of the Matterport end-to-end solution in saving them time, money, and carbon emissions will continue to play a huge role.
Related Products
👉 Matterport Pro3 3D Panoscan Camera
👉 Matterport Pro3 3D Panoscan Camera Bundle
Want to learn more about Matterport products? Click below to contact us!
- Contact Us -
3DMart offers more than just 3D printing; we provide three major OEM services: "3D Printing Service", "3D Scanning Service", and "Space 3D Scanning Service"!
Follow our fan pages to stay updated:
Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn