Today was the earliest wake up call in order to drive about an hour to our first company visit, Hoerbiger. Hoerbiger produces valves that have different applications ranging from medical to automotive. When we first arrived, the plant was a lot smaller than I expected however, though small in size currently Hoerbiger is growing since the push of electric vehicles.
At the plant, we got a run down on what the agenda looked like starting with a presentation on the company. In this presentation, they described the basics of the company such as employee number and a basic run down on what are the main products being produced. They then went into detail about how their valves can be applied to various aspects of life. With each differentiation comes a change in their product. A product that has to help store carbon, or run a car is going to have a different pressure point than a ventilator used on premature babies. Even within the same application comes variances. A ventilator for a child is going to stray from one used on an adult.
Though I knew that this product was not universal and would have to be changed with respect to the application, I did not comprehend the degree of sensitivity these products have. The lead presenter told us that even one strand of hair can through off accuracy by 25% which can lead to failure, and if the valve is used in a ventilator that can lead to serious side effects. Due to this sensitivity they have instituted protocols to ensure maximum cleanliness within the lab, which we got to see during our tour of the company.
After each group finished their tour, we drove to the other plant which focuses on producing a part for cars. This part wasn’t as interesting to me as the first as I am more interested in the medical aspect of engineering but it was still cool to see how the plant operated and how many machines and steps there were to make one small part.
Once that tour was over we ate lunch and had to presentations on the business side of the companies. Though I am an engineering major I find business to be interesting and intriguing to learn about. The presenters spoke to us on the uprising components in the automobile industry and the management of the company.
After the company visit was over we ventured over to Oberammergau. When we first arrived it was pouring so we were unable to take the gondola to the top of the mountain. However, we waited out the storm by venturing around the town. My favorite shop was this small Christmas store which had nutcrackers and wooden clocks. The only downside to this shop is that it was pretty pricey but it was due to the displays being made in Germany. After the Christmas store, we headed to a bakery where I split a pastry with a friend that was dipped in chocolate and filled with plum cream (I unfortunately forgot the name). By this time the rain had ceased so we made our way up to the gondolas. We then took the gondolas up to the mountain where we got off and were able to see the Alps. That was definitely the coolest thing I have ever done. Many photos later we ventured back to flat ground where we split up to go to dinner. I got a traditional dinner of schnitzel and spatzel which was very good better than back in America which was to be expected. After we made the hour plus bus ride back to our hotel where our day sadly ended.
Though this day was very long each aspect was fascinating in different ways. I can’t wait to see if tomorrow can top that.
