Today was another day of great weather, which honestly makes everything feel a little more manageable. Being in a new place is already kind of overwhelming, but when the sun is out and it’s not freezing or pouring rain, it helps a lot. We were up and out early, 7:40 AM, for a site visit to the MAN Trucks & Buses factory in Nuremberg.
Before the factory, we had a walking tour through the center of Nuremberg. The city itself was really cool, tons of old churches and historical buildings that somehow survived (or were restored after) the war. We got to walk through gardens and hear a bit about the religious history between the Lutherans and Catholics, which honestly I didn’t know much about, so it was interesting to learn. You can tell there’s a lot of pride in preserving that history.
Lunch was on-site before the factory, and I tried sausage with sauerkraut and spätzle. It was better than I expected, and it felt like a solid cultural food moment. Still not Chipotle, but we’re getting there.
At the MAN facility, we had to wear neon green vests and headsets, and unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take any pictures. That kind of sucked because the inside of the factory was super impressive. What stood out most to me was how organized and efficient everything was. The way the workers have exactly 170 seconds to complete each task before the engine moves on to the next person using this robotic system was wild. It was super systematic, but not in a bad way, more like, “how do humans and machines function together like this so seamlessly?”
One thing I didn’t realize before is that their production is demand-based. They only build engines when there are orders, instead of just continuously producing. That was cool to learn and made me think more about how responsive manufacturing has to be now. We saw one of their newest engines, the A30, I think, which just started production two weeks ago. It was cool to be seeing something that new, something that’s probably not even out in the world yet.
They said they make about 250 engines every 8-hour shift, which really put into perspective how much they get done in such a short amount of time. It’s easy to look at a truck or a bus and not think about the hundreds of people and steps behind it, but this tour made that very real.
Afterward, we headed back to Augsburg. It was a long day, and I was definitely tired by the end of it, but I’m glad we got to see both the city and the factory. It was one of those days where you realize just how different places and industries operate, and how much you can learn just by watching and listening. I feel like every day here has been packed, but it’s starting to feel more normal now. Little by little, things are clicking into place.
