Today was our last full day together as a full group. We started the day with our final presentations, each group sharing what they had learned from their assigned companies. My group had Hoerbiger, which turned out to be an interesting company to research since their main business operations are being threatened due to the trend of electrification. After our site visit, we had a clearer picture of how they operate, the challenges they’re facing, and how they are tackling those issues.
I was responsible for the adaptation analysis and ansoff matrix, which gave me the chance to dive into more about how Hoerbiger is adapting to the industry changes and moving on from their flagship ICE transmission products. It was cool to go beyond just the factory tour and actually explain their positioning and strategy to the rest of the group. Putting it together made me realize how much we’d absorbed in just two weeks.
It was also really cool to watch the other groups present on Continental, Audi, GROB, and MAN. Even though we all visited the same companies, everyone picked up on different things. Hearing their insights and how they interpreted each visit added a whole new layer of perspective.
After a long day of presenting, we had our farewell dinner at the Ratskeller, a beautiful restaurant underneath the Augsburg city hall. I ordered the Schnitzel, which I had a few times while in Germany, but this was definitely the best I had so far.
Saying goodbye to the German students we had spent the past two weeks with was harder than I expected. It’s strange how quickly you can bond with people within two weeks. I’ll miss many of them, and I’m grateful we had the chance to connect.
