Today we finally got to visit the company that I am doing my presentation on. The tour was fascinating as we got to see all of the different machines that Grob makes for other companies like Tesla and VW. The apprenticeship shop was very cool as it had many training areas and places where the apprentices could learn the skills that they need for their careers. We also learned that they make many of the parts for their machines with their own machines. They have a level of independence and innovation that many companies lack. The company’s business model is that they make machines based on demand, meaning that they only produce when the machines are asked for. I thought it was interesting how many of the employees actually enjoy their job and receive good benefits. Their workplace culture is very different than that in the U.S. They talked about how most of their employees would stay at Grob for the duration of their careers and how the company rarely fires people. I was shocked to find out that the company is willing to work with their employees if they are struggling and help them settle into their job.

After we toured Grob, we returned to the University of Augsburg to attend two talks. The first one was given by Dennis Heusser, a project manager at VDE mobility. His talk featured narration on the “Drive Portfolio of the Future,” an analysis done by a combination of political and economic analysts on how Germany and the rest of the world can move towards zero carbon emissions. This organization has a fascinating perspective in that politics and economics must come together in order for any push in e-mobility to actually be implemented. It was comforting to see how many people actually care about saving our planet and that steps are being taken by companies and government alike to ensure our environment can survive.

The next talk was from a retired BMW worker on the company’s efforts to create autonomous cars. The presentation was very engaging as the speaker was extremely passionate about BMW and the company’s vehicles. He was knowledgeable about BMW as a company and was actually able to freely speak his opinions about their relationships with other companies and consumers because he was retired. It was very interesting to hear about the future of autonomous vehicles from someone who had actually worked with them and seen the process of development from the inside. As someone interested in working on autonomous vehicles in the future, his insight into the industry and its current standing was invaluable.