May 7th, 2019
I began my day today with another early breakfast with Brett and some of the other students on the Plus3 trip. Today was going to be a big day, and I had to make sure I started it the right way with a good meal.
We departed for Hirshvogel, a manufacturer of automobile components, at 8:00. After a somewhat long but enjoyable bus ride, we arrived at the Hirshvogel plant in Denklingen. Right away, we saw a materials storage lot that was full of steel and aluminum (which we would later find out was worth approximately 8 million Euros).
We got off the bus and met our tour guide for the day, Hans-Willi Raedt. After introducing himself, Herr Raedt gave us a very interesting and informative presentation about Hirshvogel’s products, processes, and business. Hirshvogel produces components in six countries and functions as a first-tier and second-tier supplier in the automotive industry. I thought it was very interesting that Hirshvogel does not have public shares and is primarily family-owned, and yet it is able to manufacture automotive components on a relatively large scale. Hirshvogel primarily produces forged engine, transmission, chassis, powertrain, and fuel system components using cold, warm, and hot forging techniques. Their company is undergoing a lot of changes as it adapts to engine downsizing, hybridization and electrification, outsourcing, and additive manufacturing trends in the auto industry. We also learned about the processes that Hirshvogel uses to create parts from ideation to completion and sales.
After our presentation, we went on a tour of the Hirshvogel plant. Only after that could we appreciate the scale of the manufacturing at Hirshvogel, and we got to observe cold, warm, and hot forging up close. We were then treated to a tasty lunch of sausage, mashed potatoes, and spätzle at the plant’s cafeteria.
We departed Hirshvogel in the early afternoon and headed to Oberammergau. We arrived in the city and began to explore all of the souvenir and curio shops. I looked everywhere for a Christmas ornament, and happily I was able to get a nice one displaying the nativity scene. The town was very tourist-y, and I could sense that this was a place that Americans commonly visit during their time in Germany.
The most exciting part of our day came after the tour of Oberammergau. We took the ski lift up to the top of the Alps. With each increase in height up to the top, the view became more and more incredible; you could see for miles on end. We took lots of pictures to remember the scene and had a competition to see who could throw a snowball the furthest off the mountain. Here are some of the pictures I took:
After this amazing experience, we boarded the bus for the trip back to Augsburg. I did not know how tired I was, but according to my friends I was asleep only a few minutes after the bus started moving.
When we got back to Augsburg, Brett, Reid, and I visited Murdock’s Irish Pub and got an excellent bacon cheeseburger with chips. It was nice to visit the Irish pub because we could speak in English for our first meal off course time. On the way there, I saw a cerulean Chevy Camaro ZL1, which unfortunately is not pictured for the car of the day.
I spent the rest of the evening preparing for my visit to Continental in Regensburg tomorrow. I prepared several questions in anticipation of the visit. I’m starting to get a little nervous about the presentation! Hopefully the visit goes well tomorrow.