Today’s journey started very early to take an hour-long drive to our first company visit: Hoerbiger. This was my group’s company, so it was important for me to pay attention to the details of the tour and be engaged with the company representatives. Being a slightly lesser-known company, Hoerbiger did not disappoint. Their production facilities were fascinating—seeing all the stages of production for different components and all the complicated machines that are so easy to get lost staring at. They also showed us their office spaces, and I loved how they try to emulate the vibe and culture of a start-up. It shows that older companies can truly make changes that adapt to the evolving workplace.

It was very interesting to listen to the company representatives explaining the functions of different Hoerbiger products at both the plants. The first plant mainly focused on the Piezo chips essential for respirators, which were especially useful during the pandemic because they allowed patients to breathe when they were compromised. The second plant produced a type of metal ring device, which is more relevant to the automobile supply chain. These devices are used in hydraulic systems in vehicles that allow them to decelerate and accelerate. Additionally, the main driver of change in the automotive industry is the shift to electric vehicles, which may decrease the production and demand for these hydraulic components since EVs tend to ship with electric brakes.

Moving on to the cultural side of today’s trip, we made our way to the scenic Bavarian Alps to the mountain of Laber overlooking the little countryside city of Oberammergau. We went up to the top in a cable car, taking in the beauty of the red rooves of the town’s buildings and the gorgeous greenery. At the top was a majestic view of the snow-capped Alpine mountains. We were also surprised at the number of paragliders effortlessly jumping off the steep hill and floating over 6000 feet in the air!

Once we took the cable car back down to Oberammergau, it was our couple of hours to explore the city that seemed straight out of a fairy-tale. We stopped at multiple souvenir stores, including a Christmas-themed store with EXPENSIVE items and a more casual souvenir store. The workers at both stores were extremely kind and welcoming and even curious about where we were from. I could immediately feel the difference between the countryside and the city of Augsburg. Oberammergau had a more traditional and religious feel to it, with many stores selling religious items and traditional German clothing. It also seemed like many of the other people in the town were tourists, either international or German, while in Augsburg, it is mainly locals. We then ate at a café bar with a small but impressive food menu. Many of us ordered the Bratwurst and Sauerkraut, a German classic! After dinner, we headed to Augsburg while playing geography trivia on the 90-minute drive back. Here’s a question for you: Can you name all 12 countries that end with the letter ‘O’?

Overall, this busy day was full of many firsts: first company visit, first time outside Augsburg, and first time trying bratwurst and sauerkraut. Hoerbiger’s factories were very insightful into one of the many sides of the entire automotive supply chain. Oberammergau and Laber were breathtaking as it was great to finally see some other parts of Bavaria. Tomorrow is another very busy day, and I can’t wait to write about it soon! Bis bald!!