After a somewhat early wake up, we took a two hour drive to Continental. After a headache with our reservations, we got into the facility for a lecture about automation in car microchip manufacturing. Afterwards we were treated to a tour of the production facility. We had to wear lab coat and foot coverings to protect against static discharge that would ruin the electronics.

This factory was much more automated than MAN. Small robots moved material between storage areas. Large, 3D printer like machines cut through boards and planted transistors. Human workers were there for smaller jobs and quality control. The tour was very brief — only about 20 minutes. But the lecture earlier about about how these automations had been put in place over the course of months and early of testing and design made me appreciate just how efficient and precise this “dance” of machines really was.

In the afternoon we went on a tour of the old town of Regensburg, the largest city in Germany that was not bombed during the second world war. This meant that the town had a perfectly preserved 12th century city. After an hour long tour of the town hall, we decided we would rather have extra time to explore the city the visit Walhalla — a 19th century monument outside the city. After some sightseeing and ice cream, it was time to head home.