Day three. Today was a jam packed day. It was our first company visit at Hoerbiger. We started off the day waking up fairly early to take the bus to Hoerbiger. Not my favorite thing in the world to do, but I know it is worth getting up early to make the most of the day. To make up from lack of sleep I decided to nap for a little over thirty minutes. Once I woke up, I was greeted by the most beautiful countryside. I only saw green the entire time with scattered yellow spots on the drive. Not only that but if you looked closely you could see the mountains in the distance topped with snow. It was quite the sight to see and I am very glad I was awake to experience it.
We arrived at Hoerbiger and got straight to the tour. We separated into three groups where we had to put on safety shoes, which might have been the least comfortable things I have ever worn. We were introduced to their main product, the pieza microchip. While there they also talked about how they were improving employee health by making adjustable desks. I was very surprised how much time and money was involved in helping employee work life. After the first tour about the flow control, we moved over to the automotive part of the company. Here they produced gears for gearboxes in automobiles. Here we learned a lot about how things like covid influenced the company and how they adapted to these changes. We also learned how they had to adapt to the Suez Canal being blocked by one of the biggest container ships ever built. In order to adapt to this challenge they were forced to use air travel and raise shipping costs.
After the conclusion of our tour of Hoerbiger, we headed straight to Oberammergau. Once there we took a gondola up to the top of the mountain. I can confidently say that I took a couple photos up there. It was absolutely beautiful, I have never seen anything like this view in my life. Truly a once in a lifetime experience and I am very glad I have tons of photos to look back on. After losing my ticket to get back down the mountain and into the town of Oberammergau, we were able to spread out and get dinner on our own. I ended up getting schnitzel for the second time in Germany, and yes, it is still very tasty.
After spending time at both Oberammergau and Augsburg, it is easy to tell they have several differences. Oberammergau has a completely different vibe compared to Augsburg. It is mostly country side and is surrounded by mountains. Augsburg has the street cars and city features which is very different to Oberammergau. I feel like each day has been getting better and better, as this day has become my new favorite day. I am very excited to keep going on more company visits and comparing how each one is set up. See you tomorrow!
-Jason Bliss