Day 17: Audi revisited

We returned to Audi today to attend the plant tour that we had signed up for on Monday. We started with a little film before moving on to the tour itself. I learned that there are 2 plants in Germany, one in Hungary, and lastly, one in Brussels. The one in Hungary produces engines for all the cars. Unfortunately, we were unable to take any photos while we were inside the plant. We were able to see a small portion of the pressing plant where sheets of metal blanks were formed into various car components. Blanks went through 3 or 4 pressings before the desired component was completed. All scrap metal pieces are gathered and pressed into cubes. The cubes are returned to the supplier to be recycled into new metal blanks.

We watched as car frames moved slowly from one line to the next and robots assembled parts and attached them to the frames with spot welds or adhesives. We were able to see manned assembly stations with people at work as they attached components or performed quality assurance checks. Although we didn't get to witness the entire assembly process, we did get to see the final vehicles as they rolled off the end of the line and their engines were started for the first time. Each car is accompanied by a "black box" as it travels through the assembly lines that gives details of all the features ordered by the customer. Also, a binder for every car is produced; it gives detailed information of tests and checks done during the production process and kept for a 15 year period.

One of the things you can do is request to pickup your new vehicle at the Audi plant. In the lounge area, there are screens listing names of people picking up their new Audis and the time of their scheduled appointments. They offer free refreshments in the lounge to new Audi owners. An espresso and an R8, please! =)

After our plant tour, we took a very scenic drive to our next location, Hopfen. Hopfen is a very picturesque little town beside Hopfensee Lake at the base of the Bavarian Alps. The skies got darker and darker as we drove closer and closer to the Alps. Luckily, we managed to get to our hotel just before the downpour began. We stayed inside until the rain stopped. We ventured out for a short walk before returning to the hotel for dinner. Matt had a pork roast with red cabbage and I had a grilled lake trout with potatoes. We tried the local beer, Hefeweizen. Matt was shocked that I finished my 0.5 L of beer. ;) Once we finished dinner, we went for another stroll. All and all, a fairly relaxing day.

View from our hotel room's balcony:

The town of Hopfen at dusk:

Post downpour Hopfensee, at dusk:

Town of Hopfen and Lake Hopfensee in the background: