Day 4: May 11th

Day 4 started off early, because we had to ride an hour long bus to get to Munich to visit the BMW offices.  We only got to listen to a presentation today, and the factory tour will be later on the trip.  I liked the BMW presentation, because the presenter talked about BMW's different business models and new ideas and programs.  For example, BMW is started to include ride- share services and new apps for their customers.  I really liked how the company is analyzing their environment and changing their company services to fit their customers' needs.  They are even tailoring different programs, apps, and lines according to different market segments.  BMW offered us water and cookies after the presentation, which I thought was very considerate.

After we got back from Munich, we had a free hour for lunch.  A few of the German students took some of the American students to a little market type place, and there was a building that had several different meat shops inside. I got to meet Caroline and Sophia, and they helped us figure out the German menus and find something good to eat.  The food was amazing, and I had a great time befriending the German students and eating in a very typical food market.

From there, we took the tram to KUKA, where they took us on an extensive factory tour and presentation.  I thought the robots were  fascinating.  This was the first time I have ever seen robots that high- tech working and moving.  It's amazing how they can practically run themselves, and manage other robots at the same time.  The technology that goes into making these robots must be incredibly advanced, especially considering how many different types of robots were there.  The presentation consisted of a lot of different applications for the different robots, including artwork and movie appearances.

Once the KUKA visit was over, we were free for the rest of the day.  Katie and I just went to get pizza and sit in the plaza.  It was nice to have a very relaxed night, since we have been crazy busy and we have to wake up at 6 am tomorrow to go to LEAR.