Today we had a chance to sleep in a little bit later than the past few days, and we left to visit the GROB complex at 9. Our favorite bus driver, Cristian, was back today, so it was a great start to the day. On the bus ride there, I tragically lost a game of chess against Noah. As we arrived at the GROB facility, I was shocked by how big it was. The area was comprised of 14 factory buildings and 2 big office buildings. We began the tour by getting a presentation about the company. GROB builds machines that are used by manufacturers to make almost anything. It was hard to imagine the machines until we were taken inside the factory. I was immediately blown away by how the factory looked. All of their machines are white and blue and the warehouse was super clean, which gave it a very futuristic look. The machines themselves were mesmerizing to watch. They showed us some examples of what their machines could produce, which included 3D printed aluminum structures and laser cut metal pieces. Some of the products they produced were engine components and also knee and hip replacement pieces. One thing I found funny was when the tour guide forgot the word for replacement and said “get a new knee surgery”.
After the tour, we ate in their cafeteria and made our way back to the office building for another presentation. A different employee came and talked more about the business side of the company, which I understood a bit more than the complicated engineering talk we had been getting up until then. He also discussed their plans for the future, as well as how they are adapting to changing markets in the automotive industry. They are actually already big suppliers to companies like Tesla, so as new firms enter the industry, they are able to keep getting new business. Also, because they produce the machines that these companies use and not the products itself, they are not as negatively affected by changes in the industry. We discussed as a group the differences in Hoerbiger, the first company we visited, and GROB. What stood out the most to me was that Hoerbiger was much more hesitant to invest in new infrastructure and was more focused on finding ways to make new parts with their existing machinery. They even had a rule that if an investment would not pay off in two years, that it would not be purchased, which I thought was strange for a company that is aware that the market they sell in will potentially be going away entirely in the next few decades. GROB on the other hand was much more innovative, and it was clear that they invest a lot of money in research and development.
After learning about employment opportunities from GROB, we headed back to Augsburg. I was able to get to the gym again, and then me and a couple guys went to a Vietnamese restaurant that was recommended to us by a German student. I ordered a lemongrass chicken bowl, and Evan and I shared two rolls of sushi. The food was amazing and also pretty large portions. After dinner, we were able to meet up with some of the German students and also made some new German friends. Another successful day in Germany!
