Unlike any of the other days, today we had two company tours. We started the morning at Grob Werke. It was very nice they offered us coffee and snacks when we arrived. They are a tier 2 supplier with focus on machinery and mechanical parts for automobiles as well as other industries. They offer so many opportunities for career growth through internships and apprenticeships. They also care deeply for their employees that was shown by the average length of retention with the longest being almost 60 years. Employment with them comes with many benefits and if given the chance I would definitely consider working for Grob. Below is a photo of our group after our tour of the facility.

Our second stop of the day was Forvia. The cover photo is us in our PPE for the tour.

We learned a lot about how they are making strides to shift from ICE to EV production to keep up with the evolving industry. Most of their products are for high end vehicles such as Porsche and some specialized parts for tractors like John Deere. They also emphasized the research they are doing on Hydrogen Fuel Cells. In the industry right now there are shifts to battery powered vehicles, but they are also focused on sustainability of these power sources. Hydrogen R&D is new and expensive at the moment, but they are a large company with the money to invest with the goal of getting a head start in this sector. Also while we were touring the facility, we got to hear the sound of a Porche exhaust. Our tour guide said that is something people pay thousands of dollars for. This is another aspect of the shift to electric vehicles that is relevant. EVs eliminate the traditional engine, without that there is no need for the exhaust.

Got back to Augsburg later in the evening and most of the places were closed, so we decided to try out their McDonald’s to see how it differed from the U.S. They had most of the same basic items, but the most notable was the plant-based meat alternatives to their burgers and nuggets. I did not try it but it looks interesting. My favorite thing was the fact that they had sweet chili sauce as an option, since it’s not available at ours back home.