Increasing legal requirements, fast global growth, more employees, a more extensive portfolio and a shorter time to market – A few years ago, Eppendorf AG faced all of these challenges. To fight these challenges, it required not only the employees to be trained but also the network of external partners and service providers to be educated. Only when this network of both internal and external groups (together the so-called "Extended Enterprise") is up to date with the latest products, services and developments, at all times, Eppendorf can provide the quality that it strives for. Time and efficiency are essential in this training process.

Mastering these challenges is even harder when old-fashioned and time-consuming training processes slow down the progress. This is where the professionally set-up blended learning concept within a cloud-based solution comes to the rescue. 

"After just under two years, we had about ten running metres of A4 folders and had to file and enter every piece of paper by hand; that had to change". This is how Hans-Heiko Müller, Team Manager of Organisation Learning at pfm medical, describes the situation in mid-2020.

At pfm medical, the mandatory complete documentation of all training courses used to be implemented using paper records, as is still standard practice at many companies. After completing a training course, whether online or in-person, employees had to print out a paper themselves and confirm successful close-out with their signature.

The signed document was then delivered in person or by post to headquarters, where it was manually checked and entered into the existing learning management system (LMS). This was an error-prone job that tied up a lot of resources.

In order to decrease the effort required for these processes while continuing to work in compliance with the rules, pfm medical decided in mid-2020 to convert the existing LMS into a validatable learning platform.

For this purpose, the company selected the imc AG Golden Master package which includes system set-up, commissioning and all updates for customers. Another special feature of the package is the validation documentation, which is provided by imc. This is the basis on which a system can be validated by the customer.

Specifically, this means that imc takes care of the overall configuration of the system and the documentation of the cloud setup. As part of this, imc documents that all the required steps for the proper installation of the system environment have been followed.

Hans-Heiko Müller explains, "In theory, we could have converted our existing LMS into a validatable system ourselves. But I would have had to have hired at least one full-time employee just for the documentation that would have been necessary at the beginning and as well as for every change and update in the future, because a few hundred pages each time add up quickly."

Of course, the topic of data security also played a major role for pfm medical. But the imc cloud solution was convincing: With a 99% guaranteed availability, certifications according to ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 and a 24/7 service time, there was nothing left to wish for. The cloud solution creates an even higher level of security than the classic paper filing system, as it is secured several times and cannot be destroyed by a fire, for example.

Global growth of the product portfolio, employee numbers and geographical coverage made it necessary to rethink the professional development concepts used by BSH. 

The goal was to adapt the training content to local learning habits in the different countries to fill any gaps in the knowledge of the service technicians in each location. BSH’s intent was to achieve uniform training standards so that customers around the world would enjoy the same high-quality service. 

It is of great importance to BSH that service technicians anywhere in the world are able to service appliances, repair them if necessary, and offer competent and professional advice to customers within a short period after the launch of a new product. Moreover, practical training on appliances was to be introduced locally.

What was missing was a modern, multinational professional development concept with a homogeneous database that allowed easy administration of face-to-face training and flexible implementation of tailored online training in real time. 

At Hager, it is a known fact: Role-based knowledge must be available quickly and at short notice. To ensure this while also providing blended learning and gamification elements for independent electrical engineers, Hager was looking for a suitable partner.  

When a new meter cabinet system was introduced all the way back in 1997, information had to be shared with customers almost immediately. Even in those days, the company took a step towards e-learning: Computer-based training (CBT) was recorded onto CD-ROMs and supplied with the products. A lot has happened since. CBT has become WBT. Learners are no longer provided with physical, tangible CD-ROMs on which knowledge is stored. Instead, clicking a link gives them access to the virtual training camp where up-to-date knowledge is transferred.

“Very clearly, the trend in e-learning is to quickly provide learners with role-based knowledge at relatively short notice,” explains Martin Zimmer, Online Training Advisor at Hager.

Hager has been using the SaaS version of the imc Learning Suite learning management system since 2012. The cloud solution facilitates instant availability and enormous scalability while achieving significant cost savings compared to the traditional on-premise variant.

This learning environment provides learners with a lot more than just access to web-based training (WBT): They can also view webinar recordings or utilise interactive operating instructions in the form of smart lessons – anytime and from anywhere.  

But why pick one if you can have it all? Hager leverages blended learning to inform independent electrical engineers about the company’s products. For this target group, imc and Hager have already produced four WBTs on topics such as “Lighting control and dimmers” or “Smart metering” – both of which are key content for energy efficiency. 

S&G wanted to bring the company’s professional development and training measures up to date and drive digitalisation. The objective was to quickly and directly provide information to around 1,300 employees across 19 locations. This required reductions in email traffic while ensuring that employees really do receive information on training courses. Furthermore, all employees regularly need to complete training courses on topics such as money laundering, compliance and data protection. This process was to be uniform and clear to map. 

In addition, solutions were needed to equally train employees without permanent access to a desktop computer. 

With its new, playful training, Linde Material Handling is pursuing two key goals: Transfer the necessary basic knowledge in the field of intralogistics to all colleagues worldwide, while raising awareness of challenges and improvement potentials in intralogistics among all employees.

The serious game “City of Goods” developed by imc is set in a distribution centre and structured in five training stations. The learner takes on the role of a new employee, receiving a virtual tour of the warehouse.

They gain an insight into different roles and challenges in the workplace, such as high rate of packaging errors, storage space problems or unsafe working conditions. 

Each learning station comprises an entrance area, one or two rooms and an office. In the virtual learning environment, the learner communicates with colleagues and obtains first-hand information on the issues at hand and the areas that require action. The player earns points by finding the right solution. Once a certain number of points has been achieved, the player is given access to the office. Here, they must explain the solution they came up with and implemented, before earning a minimum number of points to successfully complete the station.

The game is presented in 3D to make the simulation as realistic as possible.

Highest quality standards for pilots and flight attendants: That is the mission of Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT). To achieve this goal, the company utilises proven didactic concepts, experience and state-of-the-art learning technologies. The wholly-owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group is among the pioneers in the use of e-learning in training and development. Even in the 1990s, the company employed multimedia web-based and computer-based training courses, transitioning from face-to-face events to an online format. 

However, this was still not enough to achieve swift implementation of the different airline’s diverging requirements. Moreover, guidelines and instructions from the Federal Aviation Office (LBA) must be strictly observed, often requiring inclusion in the curriculum.

“LAT’s training business is very volatile. When one of our clients buys new aircraft, defines new learning content or needs more flight attendants, we must be able to respond quickly,” says E-Learning Team Leader Udo Link at LAT. The solutions the company had in place were no longer sufficient. A consistent, modern and professional development platform had to be implemented that would instantly be ready for action.

In the summer of 2010, LAT decided to implement a learning management system (LMS). Choosing imc as their supplier was an easy decision: At the headquarters of the Lufthansa Group, the imc Learning Suite was already a great success.

LAT decided on the cloud-based version of the multiple award-winning imc Learning Suite, the learning management system by imc. Together with Microsoft, imc is offering an instantly available and easily scalable LMS solution as Software as a Service. It allows LAT to always respond flexibly to changes in real time, both in relation to the number of trainees and the learning content. The LMS also facilitates smooth and intelligent dovetailing of online training and pure face-to-face training. 

For instance, future flight attendants must complete a 2-day online training course before arriving for their first face-to-face training. With this approach, LAT ensures that all participants are sufficiently prepared and have the same level of knowledge. The Learning Suite facilitates the implementation of a uniform and consistent blended learning approach while significantly reducing administration costs.

With “Gehirn Coach” ("brain coach"), the imc team developed a brain jogging app for smartphones that trains all five cognitive skills: logic, concentration, orientation, reaction and memory. The five skills are trained in different game formats.

To start off, the current status is determined with a fitness test. A personalised training plan is created based on the results. In addition, users can define their own priorities – for example, if they want to concentrate on memory training. After training, users can track their personal progress with the fitness tracker. User can see their fitness level in each skill, as well as their personal overall fitness in a special view for the current week, month or year. 

“Gehirn Coach” was developed in collaboration with TU Kaiserslautern. The researchers investigated thought processes in depth, and conducted studies to optimise the effectiveness of the app. Thanks to usability and eye-tracking tests throughout the development, the app is intuitive to operate. Mobilcom-Debitel customers can add “Gehirn Coach” to their mobile phone contract as an optional extra, or download the app from the app store. 

The digital transformation is shaking up almost all business processes. It is both a challenge and an opportunity for companies. BASF has rolled out digitalisation training worldwide to upskill all employees. In the first instance, this involved finding out the degree of digital readiness among the workforce.

The goal was to go beyond a strict needs assessment and also give the employees the opportunity to test their own knowledge. Intuitive operation and time-efficiency were crucial requirements for the solution.