The technological and digital transformation in which we are currently immersed is an essential tool to promote innovation and advance research and development of products and services that have a positive impact on society. This is especially valuable in areas such as health.
The pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim is a clear example of a company that is firmly committed to digitization, as confirmed by the existence of its technology hub, located at the headquarters in Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona), which offers services to more than 53,000 Internet users. the corporation worldwide and which is now ten years old since its establishment. As Marieta Ramos, manager of the hub, explains, "we want to become a leading digitization company in the pharmaceutical sector and establish ourselves as a strategic site worldwide." Of course, people are a key factor in the development of this work. The team at the center has been created –according to Ramos– “by and to optimize the experience of our patients. For this reason, we are committed to the best talent, we foster a diverse, collaborative and open environment, and we encourage our collaborators to grow and innovate”.
Coinciding with the celebration of the first decade of the hub, Boehringer Ingelheim has invested 13 million euros in digitization projects; it will also continue to make new contributions in the coming years. The pharmaceutical multinational will also strengthen this digital services center, expanding its staff by 10% throughout this year. Among the 300 members of the current team, we find people of 27 nationalities who speak 14 languages, and belong to 3 different generations (59% of them are already millennials).
The hub is today the most important IT unit owned by the company after the center in Ingelheim am Rhein, the group's headquarters, and the one in the United States, with the one in Barcelona representing 60% of the IT workforce. It also has two other technology centers in Buenos Aires and Manila. Sant Cugat is home to, among others, the network operations center, from which the computer, transmission or telecommunication networks of the company's offices and plants are managed, as well as the factory automation center of excellence or the salesforce center of excellence The first of them is in charge of applying the new Industry 4.0 technologies, to achieve the most advanced level of automation in the production of pharmaceuticals globally, as well as in the two factories located in Sant Cugat del Vallès.
The technology hub must be joined by another hub for digital marketing services, also in Sant Cugat, which provides worldwide coverage and has already become a reference center for the company. Both hubs contribute to the generation of job opportunities and economic growth in the region, attracting professionals, investment and innovation development.
Universities and centers specialized in technology in Catalonia regularly collaborate with the company in learning and talent retention programs, and also in talks for students on cutting-edge topics related to innovation. Boehringer Ingelheim wants to be -as Ramos points out- "a trusted partner so that local authorities are aware of our services and investments in the country in the field of digitization and so that through collaboration between different companies, universities and educational centers it is possible to consolidate the area as a hub of technological talent and innovation”. For Ramos, "innovation is part of the company's DNA in Spain, as confirmed by these two centers with international service."
All this news is, in short, confirmation of Boehringer Ingelheim's will to combine human talent with technological investment, to encourage learning, measurement of results, process automation and constant innovation, and to achieve, In this way, that all your patients and customers can access the highest quality health products.
