KUKA and a Dealership

This morning I once again went on a jog in the large park across from our hotel. The park is so big and scenic I feel like it could never get old! I came back and had breakfast at the hotel as I have done most days. I don't believe I have blogged about the breakfast yet, so I will do so now. I normally eat a large breakfast, so first I get a bowl of this seed-fruit-granola cereal and put a yogurt on it. This is really good because the yogurt practically tastes like pudding; it is so delicious! Then, some mornings I add a side of toast with a hard-boiled egg, while others I opt for a sliced-sausage and swiss cheese sandwich on a french roll. Either way, it sure is a great start to my day.

After breakfast, we went to tour the KUKA manufacturing plant on the other side of Augsburg, which we traveled to by streetcar. I will digress for a second and mention that the streetcars are amazing--very reliable, efficient, and clean. I hope one day we have them in the United States. Back on topic, KUKA is a manufacturer of robots that are in hospitals, manufacturers, and are extremely prevalent in the automotive industry. In fact, KUKA is #1 in not only most robots sold in Germany, but also are #1 for robots sold in the automotive industry worldwide. We actually saw these robots in action yesterday at the Audi production facilities.

As we toured the KUKA plant, we noticed that the making of the individual pieces of the robots is somewhat automated, while the compilation of the pieces into the final product is mainly done by hand. This was somewhat surprising to me. All in all, it was very cool to see how large and powerful the machines were, how skilled the workers had to be, and how precise the machines were made to be. They are guaranteed to be precise to 0.1 mm, and are actually precise to 0.05 mm! It was also interesting to learn about how they envision the future of robot, especially when they said they envisioned their robots being in households within the next ten years!

After lunch at a delicious Italian restaurant (I ordered a pizza with ham on it), we went to an Audi car dealership. There, we learned about the process of selling both used and new cars and many of the transactions that go along with the sale, such as insurance, service, or leasing. I never realized the personal approach that salesmen go to, such as remembering your buying habits and major life changes that could influence future buying habits. I also never realized the lengths a dealership would go to to ensure they retain you as a loyal customer. After getting a picture with the Audi R8 and touring the facilities, a small group of us headed into town to walk around, look at shops, and have dinner at a Spanish restaurant. It's safe to say, this was another exciting day!