Friday, May 13

Friday we made our second trip to Munich solely for BMW World and Museum and a factory tour. It was our shortest day, as we left at 11am and got back at around 5. After eating our lunch in a fancy museum bistro, we first took a look around the Museum, which documented BMW’s long and illustrious history in the automotive market. Something I didn’t know was that they made airplane engines for the Nazi regime during World War 2, so they really did cover all aspects of the market, from those airplane engines all the way to Formula 1 cars and everything in between. It was really cool to see the evolution of their cars and bikes, especially now in the era of electric cars and finding ways to make their product lines environmentally friendly. We then headed over to BMW World after about 45 minutes in the museum, and for many people that was a lot more interesting because we were able to sit inside many of their newest models and learn a lot more about the product lines of today that they offer. I was disappointed though because we were not able to sit in the Rolls Royce and some of the other higher end cars that they sell, but they made up for it by having an area where you could hit golf balls in a promotion for one of the PGA tournaments they sponsor. Finally it was time for the factory tour, and that was the highlight of my day. It was amazing to see all of the components and processes it takes to make just one car, and the fact that they make one car every 58 seconds is mind-blowing. They have truly mastered the art of car manufacturing in the most efficient way possible while still upholding their tradition of high quality vehicles. Our tour guide did a really good job of explaining all of the processes in a way that made sense to the average person, and made me really appreciate all the work automotive manufacturing does all day, every day. With a much needed nap on the way home, many of us hung out with the Augsburg students in the night, and we have become quite good friends, which is really cool. The picture below is of the BMW i8, one of the first two cars in BMW's electronic car series, and runs solely on electricity. It is their response to the sudden success of Tesla, and other eco-friendly cars.

Thursday, May 12

Thursday was by far our longest day. After waking up at 6am, we left at 7 for a 3 and a half hour drive to Kronach in northern Bavaria to the Lear Corporation, one of the leading suppliers in automotive seating and now investing in audio for cars as well. Just like all of the other site visits, Lear went above and beyond to accommodate us, from having complementary beverages to some of the most senior people in the company taking time out of their very busy day to talk to us. Following the presentation of their company, we split up into 3 groups and were taken on a tour of the facilities, which I believe was the coolest one yet. Our first stop was in the audio testing center, where they had a 6-car garage, and multiple soundproof rooms to test the audio systems of cars, and the tour guide even let us go into one of those rooms and played music. I can honestly say that was the highest quality music I have ever listened to, and certainly makes it tough to just listen to my phone with headphones that barely block out any sound. The second stop on the tour was the audio systems factory, and it was set up in a production line layout. This was the first time I have seen what that layout looks like, and to actually see a product start as bits and pieces and become a state-of-the-art piece of machinery, which was very cool. We then got back on the bus and headed to Nuremberg, the second-largest city in Bavaria. Initially I just wanted to get back to Augsburg because I was so tired, but I’m glad we stopped in Nuremberg because it was unlike any city I have been to. I still can’t believe that 90% of the city was demolished in World War 2, and that they built it back exactly how it looked before the war, all the way down to the cobblestone streets. It was so picturesque, and the flowing rivers throughout the city only added to that feeling. I’m beginning to be more comfortable using my German, and for the first time ever I am actually enjoying speaking the language, and I hope that continues when I get home.

Wednesday, May 11

On Wednesday we made the first of our three trips to Munich to go to the BMW innovation campus and listen to a presentation, which was about the marketing strategy of the company and how they are heavily invested in expanding their social media platform in order to get to as many customers as possible. They also talked about the expanding demand for electric cars, and how their i Series of completely electric cars will meet that. It sounds like they are pioneering this shift of automobile manufacturers from just building cars to building a community and lifestyle with people who own BMW’s, and because of that their competition has changed slightly from Audi and Volkswagen to Google and Uber, companies that have mastered the social media experience. The campus was really cool, with many of their new and not yet released cars driving around, and it seemed as if everyone enjoys working there. The presentation was only about an hour, so after getting back to Augsburg we had some down time before heading to our next site visit, KUKA Robotics, which was just a tram ride away. I think KUKA was the most interesting site visit yet because we actually got to see their production process and walk through the manufacturing floor of the robots making robots. The presentation after the tour could have been better, as the engineer who led the talk only focused on the robots themselves and not really the selling and promotion process, which is what I was hoping they would go over. Also, he ended the Q and A session abruptly without answering all of our questions, which was a disappointment. Overall thought KUKA was quite a cool company and one of the major players in the automation market. After that we went to dinner with a lot more of the Augsburg students, and it was nice for all of us to really hang out for the first time this trip. I am still so impressed at their English-speaking skills, and every day we are finding out new things about their culture, school, etc.

Tuesday, May 10

            Tuesday began the first of the 5 site visits we have planned during our time here to SGL, a company that makes carbon fiber for all applications. It was about 45 minutes away from Augsburg in a small town that was perfect for a massive plant like SGL. First, they gave us a presentation on the background and the amount of time and investment it takes to make carbon fiber, the biggest reason why it’s so expensive. Following the presentation we were taken on a tour of the facilities, from the corporate sector to the manufacturing buildings and the chemistry labs, where they are constantly researching new methods and techniques that could make the carbon fiber cheaper and better. They also gave us a very good lunch that many of us were not expecting, and we all really appreciated the time they took out of their day to show a bunch of American college students what they do. When we got back to Augsburg we first went to the town hall for a lecture on migration in Augsburg, and Germany as a whole. The head of migration for the city came in and told us about how until 2000, Germany did not want to consider themselves a place of diversity and a refuge for foreigners, even though almost the country’s entire history has been shaped by people not native to Germany. She also talked about the recent migration crisis from the Middle East and how Augsburg is dealing with the influx of refugees coming through the city. I thought it was quite interesting, and it sounds like they are doing all they can to make sure the refugees are treated in the most fair and humane way possible throughout this whole process. After that we actually went to a place where refugees were staying and got a tour, which I personally thought wasn’t right and made me uncomfortable because I felt like we were walking through a zoo, taking pictures and invading their privacy. While it was also a hotel and hostel, I just felt that we could have done something more productive with our time. We had the rest of the day to ourselves after that, and all of the students went to another classic Bavarian restaurant, and then we again hung out with some of the German students.

Monday, May 9

After finally getting some sleep we headed over to the University of Augsburg in the morning to get a brief lecture from Dr. Feick, which was a general overview of the project, and got in our groups to work on a small presentation that was due a little later that day. It was nice to get to know my other group members immediately, and get a head start on the final project that’s due next Wednesday. Following the presentations we had lunch at the Mensa, which is equivalent to our dining hall but much better, and got a tour of the campus. It has much more of a campus feel to it than Pitt and all of the buildings are relatively modern since it was built in the 1970s. I really liked all of the green space, and it seemed like a lively campus with a lot of kids hanging out on the lawns. After that we went on a scavenger hunt throughout the city, which required me to use my little German to ask someone to take a picture of our group among other things. It was cool to actually finally use some of the language that I took all of high school, but at the same time stressful. Dinner could not have come soon enough as 10 miles of walking around and getting lost tired the entire group out. We went to an Italian restaurant in the center of town which, like all of the food here, was so good. Following dinner we hung out with some of the Augsburg students, but everyone was tired so we got back at around 11.