Excursion to Kramer-Werke GmbH
As part of the lecture "Design of mobile machinery", a wheel loader was designed in the 2018/2019 winter semester. The lecture included an excursion to Kramer-Werke GmbH in Pfullendorf at the end of the semester. During this excursion, students gained further knowledge about the development of wheel loaders through various technical presentations by employees. The students then went on a tour of the production hall. There they were given an insight into the various work steps involved in the manufacture of wheel loaders in different performance classes. After lunch, the highlight of the day was the machine demonstration and vehicle testing. The limits of the wheel loaders were demonstrated on an internal test site and each student was allowed to try out the machines for themselves. The day was rounded off with presentations by the student groups on the topics covered in the lecture.
Report on the 2018 MOBIMA Whitsun excursion
Day 1: Tuesday, 22.5.2018
We met in front of the MOBIMA Institute on Campus East at 5:45. 6:00 a.m. was the departure time. Off we went to Kessler in Abtsgmünd in Swabia. The journey took around 3 hours. We received a warm welcome at Kessler. It started with a presentation about the company and its history. This was followed by a detailed tour of the 3 plants. Kessler is a gearbox and axle manufacturer that develops its own customized products and carries out many different durability tests. It was very interesting to see the complete manufacturing process.
After the factory tour, we went to the canteen. All the participants sat at a long table and had a pleasant meal with one of the company owners. After the meal, we had a presentation about the company's products and its future. Then we went to a very interesting museum where many natural phenomena are explained interactively. After visiting the museum, we took the bus directly to Regensburg. When we arrived, we were allocated our hotel rooms and after a 45-minute break we went for dinner in a typical German brewery. The food was delicious and everyone had a good time. Afterwards, the group split up. One part went back to the hotel and the other part went to the Regensburg folk festival. That was the end of the first day
Day 2: Wednesday, 23.5.2018
We left the hotel in Regensburg for Holmer on time at 8:30. We received a warm welcome at Holmer. The program began with a presentation about the history of the company. Afterwards, as on the previous day, we had a detailed factory tour during which many questions were answered. Holmer is a medium-sized company that builds fairly large agricultural machinery. So big that you feel like a dwarf standing next to them. After the factory tour, we had a very interesting presentation about farming and the challenges. Afterwards, Holmer provided us with Bavarian veal sausage and pretzels. After the meal, we drove straight on to Passau. After checking in, we walked into the city. We walked to the old town, where we enjoyed the wonderful weather. At 7 pm we met up again at a brewery. We had dinner there and then continued exploring the city in the evening. That was the end of day 2.
Day 3: Thursday, 24.5.2018
We got up relaxed and had breakfast. We took the bus to the city shortly before 10am. The city tour started at 10 am. The tour was very interactive and entertaining. We learned a lot about the history of the city. The tour ended with a nice photo.
At 13:30 we drove on to ZF in Passau. The program typically started with a short presentation about the history of the company. This was followed by a tour of the plant. The plant in Passau is very large compared to the Holmer plant. Vehicle axles and gearboxes are produced there. ZF produces 90% of the world's bus axles. We were shown around the plant for about an hour. This was followed by a short break before we had the pleasure of another guided tour through the test. There we split up into 2 groups, which among other things looked at several service life tests for different components and assemblies. After the tour, we left for Karlsruhe at around 5 pm and arrived at the institute at around 10:45 pm.
In short: It was a very interesting and exciting excursion where we got to know 3 companies and had a lot of fun at the same time.