Today was our first site visit and the factory tour I was most looking forward to: BMW! We took the bus to Munich where their headquarters are located and had a guest talk to start the morning. We heard about what’s most important to BMW moving forward, including prioritizing their Neue Klasse models and providing integrated technology in their vehicles. We also learned about their resilient supply chain including three main areas of expertise: purchasing, quality management, and competent production. After learning about the current state of the automotive industry and hearing from Audi yesterday, I found the optimism at BMW to be very interesting. While the are still having to cut costs and manage decreases in growth of profit, their future seems bright with the innovative Neue Klasse model of vehicles.

Following the group talk, we were able to get a tour of the BMW factory at the museum. This was by far my favorite part of the day. Walking through the different stages of development from robots passing parts around and drilling holes, to the entire engine being implemented, to the car being tested for imperfections and ultimately driven off the lot was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The attention to detail and commitment to quality is apparent through every level and floor at the BMW factory. Walking through the museum afterwards taught me so much more about BMW’s legacy and brand history. I never knew they started making aircraft engines, and connecting their name and colors of the logo to the state of Bavaria was so interesting. Growing up I always watched the show “How it’s Made” with my dad, and given the fact that he recently got a BMW, it was special to share pictures and stories from this trip with him.

We briefly visited Olympiapark which was constructed for the 1972 Summer Olympics. We saw the pool where Olympians swam and competed, and we got pictures at the Olympic rings in the park! I thought it was cute how there has been amusement park rides and attractions put in to build the park up around the history. Back in Augsburg the girls all went out to dinner together to celebrate Erin’s birthday! It was the perfect end to a great day!