Hoerbiger was a very interesting company to me because, while they can do much more, their current business seems to revolve around two things: valves and synchronizer gears.

The flow and motion control plant was very interesting because it felt small and friendly, and was a human powered assembly line in a clean room manufacturing precise valves. The other branch of Hoerbiger focused on making all sorts of synchronizer rings for all sorts of transmissions. It was the largest machine shop I had ever been in and we saw the entire process of raw material turning into a useful part for a car or truck. The plant makes millions of rings and gears and sells to many large automakers as one car requires several of these gears. The plant felt much more large scale and intense, but the employees were very friendly and knowledgeable.

Later in the day we went to Oberammergau and up a gondola to the alps. The view was amazing as you would expect, and I took many pictures.