Today, January 14th, we got the chance to visit the beautiful city of Emden. This city is host to a Volkswagon factory in which the popular Passat is manufactured. The entire process is pretty interesting. First we got to see the sophisticated robotics that weld and mend what becomes the chassi. We then followed the line an saw the construction of the other metal parts like the doors and smaller attachments. While most of the car is assembled by robots, the engines are assembled by skilled workers. They work in teams of two to assemble each engine from start to finish. After the engine is finished and attached to the frame we got to see exactly how the frame is attached to the chassi. Over all it is a very interesting process. We learned that the factory runs from about 6am to around 9pm. The day is split up into two equal shifts. The workers get 4 breaks through out the day and positions are often switched after every break to prevent problems with things like nostalgia. This experience was very interesting, and we have learned a lot about modern, German manufacturing.
