Today we drove south again and headed to our second to last visit, Hoerbiger. This visit was especially important since this is the group I am focusing on for my project. Headed into this visit I did not know what to expect since the company is privately owned and we couldn’t find a ton of information on them, so I was excited to hear more information about them.
First, we visited their valve factory and heard a presentation about what they use the valves for. It was extremely interesting to see how precise the valves are and how lifesaving they can be for babies. After the presentation we toured the factory which was also very cool to see. One part that stuck out to me was the testing area, where our guide said some valves are ran for months or even up to a year, and that they run the valves 50million times to ensure they will not vary or falter in a real life situation. It was very apparent during this tour that Hoerbiger cares a lot about their employees and their products.
Next, we got on the bus and went to another factory that produces synchronizers. At this factory we went through each step of creating a synchronizer and got to see how precise this process is and why each step is important. Following the tour we had a presentation discussing how Hoerbiger is handling changes in the market like the switch to electric vehicles and our speaker told us that this factory is currently only operating at 50% which was sad to hear, but it was interesting to see how they are adapting to these changes.
The end of our day was by far my favorite part. following our tours we took a bus to the town of Oberammergau, which was gorgeous. When we arrived we took a gondola up a mountain, which was a little nerve-wracking but 100% worth it once I saw what was at the top. When at the top of the gondola we had a fantastic view of the Swiss Alps on one side, and on the other you could look so far out into Germany that you could see Munich on a good day, although I don’t think I saw it. I was incredibly grateful to be able to see this view and being up so high and even called my parents to share it with them. After the mountain we went back down into the town to explore for a bit and it was absolutely adorable. I loved seeing the wood carvings that the area is known for, and there was an awesome Christmas shop with so many neat handmade decorations that I could have spent all day in.
Overall, I really enjoyed today, especially the second half.