Our fifth day in Augsburg brought us to rural Bavaria, to a Weißwurstfruhstuck in Baindkrisch. Called a white sausage breakfast in English, it’s hosted in the town every Thursday morning, featuring the mainstays of a traditional Bavarian breakfast: white sausage, made from veal and pork, mustard, pretzels, and even cheeses and fruits for vegetarians. Every table was occupied for the duration of our stay, with cars parked along the road and into the town. The food looked delicious, which was verified by the group; a very enjoyable experience for all.

The Weißwurstfruhstuck is incredibly different from a traditional American breakfast. Instead of a sweet, carb-heavy meal, the Bavarians prefer the savory flavor of the sausage, with mustard and all, along with authentic fresh pretzels. The locals also enjoyed a tall beer with their meals (which was not made available to us), another significant contrast to the typical American coffee or orange juice. Between the two, I would definitely choose the Weißwurstfruhstuck; it offers a hearty, filling breakfast, something I don’t like about typical American breakfasts.

Baindkrisch is a small farming village between Augsburg and Munich, and was what I pictured a Bavarian village to be. It felt similar to a rural American town, but was much more dense that any stateside village. Houses were small and close together, streets were lined with picket fences and narrow sidewalks, with some cars parked along the curb. But the same rural atmosphere was present, and was visible from the buildings and the locals. Lots of friendly Germans.

After a short break, we took our third company tour at a Forvia facility, a tier 1 supplier to the automotive industry. With plants all over the world, in addition through mergers and acquisitions, the company has a strong global influence in the automotive market, producing everything from seats to headlights. This plant in particular produced exhaust systems for Porsche, Volkswagen, GM, John Deere, and other European firms.

Among our first two company visits, Forvia was most similar to Grob. The two giants have similar influence in the international auto market, and have similar strengths related to their fields. With a diverse background of products, Forvia has the ability to produce many parts in a short period of time, considering the complexity of the part and its potential return on investment. If a large quantity of parts are needed, then Forvia will purchase the necessary equipment to automate the process. If only a few dozen orders are placed, the company will select human labor. They are ready to begin production at a moment’s notice, and are also capable of meeting the short product cycles of automakers (4-5 years minimum) to suit their needs.

Here lies both a similarity and a difference between Grob and Forvia. Both companies are regularly facing and embracing changes in the automotive energy, willing to do what it takes to fill a customer’s needs. In other words, both companies are flexible in their production plans, ready to adapt to a continuously changing environment. However, Forvia is willing to determine which method of production – automated or not – produces the greatest return of investment, based on demanded volume, complexity, and life cycle of a product. Conversely, Grob greatly prefers automation, implementing it in every process possible. This difference can be drawn in the industry the companies are involved in; Forvia with automotive parts and Grob with machining and fabrication solutions. Grob is able to design a machine to fit a customer’s needs and sell it for a high price given their reputation for highly accurate and precise machines. Forvia is much more at the mercy of their customers, manufacturing parts to fill orders at a varying price depending on product. As a result, Forvia must consider the return on investment, where Grob generally does not.