Edvantage group continues to strengthen their number one position in the Nordic e-learning market
Edvantage group, a pioneer in e-learning solutions, and Futuremedia plc, a leading learning and brand communications provider, announce today that they have reached an agreement with the intent for Edvantage group to acquire Open Training, a fully owned subsidiary of Futuremedia.
The acquisition strengthens Edvantage group’s number one position as the leading provider in the Nordic region of e-learning technology, content and services and will allow the company to better serve customers in Sweden.
"We are very pleased and excited about the opportunity Open Training represents," said Thomas Berglund, CEO of Edvantage group. "Our intention is to be a leading end-to-end provider of e-learning solutions, and this acquisition will give us a significant presence in a market with high growth opportunities. With 18 additional experienced e-learning professionals in our organisation, we will be able to better offer customers a complete range of products, services and local support."
As a combined company will offer a broad range of services, including:
- High quality tailor-made e-learning content
- The best off-the-shelf course and referenceware
- Innovative content authoring tools - CourseBuilder
- Virtual community technologies that support executive development programmes and the establishment of corporate universities
- State-of-the-art learning and competence management systems
- Project management and consultancy services
Leonard M. Fertig, CEO of Futuremedia and Chairman of Open Training said, "We made a strategic decision to focus our attention on other markets. One step in that process was to find the right buyer for Open Training, ensuring that our existing customers would receive the same high level of service they have come to expect. We are confident that we have made the right choice with Edvantage group."
Individually each of the companies showed very positive developments in 2006. Post merger, Edvantage group will have combined revenues of 100 MSEK, and a total of 70 employees. Edvantage group’s Swedish offices will be located in Stockholm, Gøteborg and Malmø.
Brand Name Customers
The merged company will have an impressive customer list in extending to over 200 organisations including: Ericsson, Volvo, SE-Banken, Sandvik, Astra Zeneca, Hydro, Belgacom, Siemens, Halifax Bank of Scotland, AkerKvaerner and Det Norske Veritas.
Contact
Thomas Berglund
CEO, Edvantage Group
tel: +47 9282 4582
thomas.berglund@edvantagegroup.com
Gerry Buckland
PR Consultant, Futuremedia plc
infomac1@mac.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 829 700
About Edvantage Group
Edvantage group, with offices in Oslo, Copenhagen, London, Amsterdam and Stockholm is a solution partner for large organisations, supporting them with a broad set of services to help e-learning become a success within their organisation. Edvantage group, a one-stop shop for e-learning content, delivers a guaranteed service level through their patented Learning Gateway. The group also helps customers set up virtual communities related to existing development programs, changing executive development from event-based training to a richer form of continuous development.
About Futuremedia
Futuremedia plc is a global media company providing online education, e-marketing and brand communications services to public and private sector organizations. Established in 1982 and listed on the Nasdaq in 1993, we help our clients to communicate their values, product and brand information to employees, customers and industry, and we believe that education, or learning, is a key component in the communication mix. Futuremedia divisions include Futuremedia Learning and Button Communications. For more information, visit www.futuremedia.co.uk.
About Open Training
Open Training, a fully owned subsidiary of Futuremedia Ltd., (UK) is a leading provider of products and services for the learning
organisation. Open Training produces customised e-learning courses, helps organisations use e-learning to improve brand communications,
and delivers technical solutions for competance development. Through partnerships with amongst others Thomson Netg and GlobalEnglish,
Open Training also offers a selection of off-the-shelf e-learning courses. For more information, visit www.opentraining.se
