Boehringer selects Plateau Systems to manage Web-based and classroom learning

ARLINGTON, VA – October 28, 2003 – Plateau Systems, the leading provider of enterprise learning management systems (LMS), announced today that Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, (www.boehringer-ingelheim.com ), has selected Plateau 4 LMS to manage all online and classroom learning for its 7,000 plus employees in multiple locations across the United States. Plateau 4 LMS enables Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation to efficiently administer, track and evaluate work force training to ensure compliance with the requirements of all relevant regulatory authorities.

Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation joins the ranks of Plateau’s major life sciences clients including Alcon, AstraZeneca, Bayer Corp., Genentech, Genzyme, GlaxoSmithKline, Guidant, Perrigo, and Zimmer Inc.

Plateau 4 LMS enables Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation to consolidate multiple learning initiatives on one Web-based platform, giving the company a holistic view of its corporate learning needs, its status with regulatory requirements, and its readiness to go to market. Plateau’s Global Service Organization (GSO) is integrating Plateau 4 LMS with several of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation’s enterprise software applications, including an SAP Human Resources system, a Ceridian Payroll system and numerous document management systems. These integrations give Plateau 4 LMS the capability to automatically assign customized learning to thousands of employees based on their job roles and positions, and to automatically revise training and curricula for all the people affected by revised Standard Operation Procedures (SOP).

By ensuring that employees are fully trained on the latest business and regulatory changes relating to everything from research and development to the manufacturing process, Plateau 4 LMS ensures the company’s compliance with the stringent regulatory requirements governing pharmaceutical companies. Plateau 4 LMS places a unique time stamp on every learning event taking place in the organization so bulletproof audit trails can be produced for regulators. It also utilizes PIN-based electronic signatures for administrators and students to sign off on completed electronic training records, in compliance with the FDA’s 21 CFR Part 11 requirements for electronic records and electronic signatures.

”Plateau 4 LMS will enable us to comply with federal regulations and better meet our long-term strategic knowledge needs,” said David Nurnberger Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation’s Vice President, Human Resources. “By implementing best practices in areas of business processes, application configuration, and systems integration, Plateau will help empower our U.S. business to create a learning environment with a knowledge-based workforce positioned for even greater competitive advantage in the future.”

“Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation is a venerable and respected life sciences company, and we are very proud to work with them as they build an innovative program to empower their employees and administrators with strategic knowledge,” said Paul Sparta, Plateau’s CEO and chairman. “Plateau 4 LMS enables Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation to understand its work force in breadth and depth, to the degree that it can respond to any change whether expected or unexpected.”
About Plateau: Plateau’s enterprise-class software manages all of an organization’s learning and knowledge on one scalable platform. Plateau 4 Learning Management System (LMS) is built on web-based J2EE/EJB architecture, and is the engine behind the largest e-learning initiatives in the corporate, non-profit and government markets. Plateau’s clients include the American Red Cross, Motorola, Union Pacific and the U.S. Air Force. Plateau is listed as a leader in LMS evaluations from Gartner Inc. And Meta Group. The company is headquartered in Arlington, VA. For more information, please visit www.plateau.com .

Boehringer Ingelheim: Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation, based in Ridgefield, CT, is the US headquarters to seven subsidiaries and a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies. The Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies ranks among the 20 leading pharmaceutical corporations in the world. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 156 affiliates in 44 countries and a total of about 32,000 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine. In 2002, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of $7.2 billion (7.6 billion euro) while spending about one fifth of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on research and development. For more information on Boehringer Ingelheim, please see the international Internet website www.boehringer-ingelheim.com.