Dear reader,

The past few months have been very busy for the committee. Some members were discharged from their board functions at the study association and also the lectures weeks have started out. We even had our first exams of the year.

The last few days of the trip have been so busy for both the committee and the participants, we were not able to write any more articles for the website. To give everyone who reads this blog a good idea of what happened during the tour, I hereby give you a short overview of the remaining days.

Day 2:

On the second day we had plenty of time to get breakfast and pack our bags. After that we had to get to the bus, which was parked a few hundred meters further on, because our street was blocked by a bazaar.

In the early morning, a part of the committee had already left for the Subway to get the lunch for during the bus trip. The people at the Subway didn't understand the amount of Subways needed at first, but after some trouble the committee members were able to be just in time to catch the bus. More about this can be read in the report special by the committee.

During the bus trip everyone enjoyed his or her Subway. After more than an hour of driving we arrived at the second company of the trip. This was Brose, a company which specializes in producing electric motors for automotive. At Brose we were welcomed with a 'snack.' This actually meant a complete lunch was prepared for us. Because we did not want to disappoint our host, everyone picked a roll and listened to the company presentation at Brose.

After the presentation it was time to have a tour in the factory. This was a very fascinating tour. We were able to look at machines winding the coils of the electric motors and saw how different production processes were managed.

After the excursion at Brose it was time to travel to our hostel in Stuttgart after we said goodbye to the Brose representatives. Because it was quite hot that day, we made a stop in the highway to stock some beverages for the trip. After a few hours driving we arrived at the hostel, which was on the top of on of the mountains which surround the city of Stuttgart.

After everyone got a room and left their stuff at the rooms, we went to see the city. In the city a wine festival was going on. After walking for half an hour over the festival area, we found a cosy little restaurant. Because we were in Germany and they served beer in liters, everyone ordered one. Unfortunately the restaurant had only 6 liter steins available. After that we had a great meal and went to explore the city nightlife.

Day 3:

At the third day we woke up early to go to the Porsche museum. After a quick breakfast everyone hurried to make the bus in time. After a short trip through the city we arrived at the Porsche museum, which is in the middle of the Porsche factories. Everywhere we looked, we saw Porsches.

After admiring the many Porsches, we entered the Porsche museum, which is an impressive building itself. After entrance, everyone got a headphone set, so the guide did not need to shout all the time, disturbing the other guests. At first we went outside and the guide told us something about the building and about Porsche in general. After that we walked up the 'spiral.' In the first circulations the older Porsche cars and cars designed by Mr. Porsche were shown. One of them was the well-known Beetle.

After having a look at the older Porsches, we moved up and the Porsches were becoming more and more like the modern Porsches. Nearly at the top we got to take a look at some of the most famous sports cars ever made and at the top we ended with Porsches latest model, the 60-year edition of the 911.

After the tour some time was left to explore the museum ourselves. Some took place in a Porsche to get photographed inside, some had a closer look at the exhibition and some went to listen to a specially prepared 911 that was revving in the middle of the museum.

After the Porsche Museum, the last company visit was planned. We went to the optical division OMRON. At this plant many optical sensors used in production lines for automotive are made.

At OMRON we first had a warm welcome by Mr. Christiani. After the warm welcome, an even warmer lunch was prepared at the dining hall. After getting ourselves stuffed with the food, it was time to have a look at the production facilities. During this tour various aspects on the production of optical sensors were treated. It was clearly visible the first few days had taken its toll on some participants. Nevertheless, also this excursion was very interesting and we learned a lot about production techniques. After the company tour it was time to say goodbye to the OMRON representatives and after making a photo, we went back to the hostel, but not before stopping at the city center, so we did not have to take the long walk down from the hostel.

Also this night we enjoyed the nightlife in Stuttgart, but this time more thoroughly, because the last company visit had been that afternoon. We noticed it was quite tough to enter the various clubs in Stuttgart.

Day 4:

On the last full day in Germany we visited the Mercedes Museum in the early morning. It was clearly visible the short night had taken its toll on the participants, but after having a look at the first (again it started with the older cars) the faces cleared up and everyone was participating actively in the tour. The guides told us everything, from the design of the building to the smallest differences between two cars.

After the visit to the Mercedes Museum we went back to the hostel, again with a stop to drop off some participants at the start of the hill, although most people went to the hostel to get a nap. At dinner time we gathered with all the participants at the city center to have dinner together. After having some trouble finding a suitable restaurant, we managed to find a place to eat with the group.

After the dinner it was time for the participants to thank the committee vice versa. After the presents were handed over to the committee, it was time to make the best of our last evening in Stuttgart. To our surprise it was not possible to get in any club with a group of more than 5 people, so we decided to go to a normal pub. During our search we came past a group of youngsters whom we asked where we could find a place to get a drink. They pointed us to a café slightly out of the city center, but at least we were able to get in there and party. The only problem was that everyone was too tired to party. After a few hours we left the bar. Most people went to the hotel, but some people went back to the city center and enjoyed the rest of the night.

Day 5:

The fifth day was the day of the trip back. After having packed our bags and having breakfast, we left only half an hour late. Soon everyone in the bus was sleeping, tired of the trip.

During the lunch break we had a stop at a highway restaurant, where everyone woke up and the first stories were told.

We hope we gave you a good impression on how our trip has been. At the moment we are wrapping up the trip and making the final report. If you want to know more about the trip, you might be interested in in receiving the final report. I you are, please send us and e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . 

Departure

In the early hours of Wednesday August 28^th the group came together to start with the excursion. The atmosphere was good from the start and we were ready for the trip. The drive to Bochum went successful without much delay and the bus arrived at Brunel on time.

Brunel

At Brunel the group was welcomed by a Dutch delegation of Brunel with cake and coffee. First we got a presentation about the activities on the testing facilities in Bochum, where we heard that there were about 80 test rigs on the facility, which was also the answer to the competition everybody participated in. Brunel has a lot of automotive customers for which they do endurance test on a lot of components in the cars. Some of these customers are DAF, BMW and Volkswagen.

Then we got a tour around the facility where we got to see the road simulation test rig for a bicycle stand on the car and the coupling of a truck. This simulated forces from two to three different directions. Furthermore we saw the vibration, temperature, pressure, corrosion, chippings and waterproofing testing facilities. These facilities test thousands of automotive components every year and every component goes through a process of sometimes two years to be analyzed and fed back to the customers.

At the end we had a presentation about the secondment department of Brunel. This included the different ways to apply for a job: directly applying, through an employment agency and secondment. Brunel helps their employees approaching companies like DAF, NEDCAR and Vredestein in the Netherlands.

The Afternoon

After this busy morning the group got a delicious lunch, where everybody could discuss what they had seen at the tour and presentations. Along with a nice goodie bag the group departed with destination Frankfurt after making a group picture.

The Night

After the long trip to Frankfurt am Main we checked in at the hostel and went discovering the city in groups. After a quick city trip in Frankfurt it was time to have dinner: pasta at the hostel. With our stomachs filled, we're ready to enjoy the Frankfurt nightlife tonight. Tommorrow we will start travelling at 11 o'clock to Brose in Wurzburg.

Auf wiedersehen! 

Tommorrow in the early hours the AU-Tech Study Trip will leave for Germany. The last preparations have been made and we are ready to leave. Now we are packing our own stuff and we hope to see all participants tomorrow at the bus. We hope to blog again tomorrow night.

In the past weeks a lot has been arranged for the AU-Tech Study Trip. The finalizing touches are being made at the moment. Most important was recieving the programme from OMRON, which can be found below.

During the third week of the holidays, some final arrangements were made. The Porsche Museum excursion is arranged and Brunel confirmed the program of the company visit. The program at Brunel will be as follows.

We hope to keep you informed during the coming weeks. For any questions, you can always mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The Second week of the holidays again a lot of effort has been put in the organization of the AU-Tech Study Trip. Unfortunately Kirchoff Automotive could not arrange a company visit for us during the study trip, so we decided to give the participants some more time off, so the participants will have enough time to get to know Frankfurt am Main. Also Porsche will not be able to give us a look into their factory, so that was the second bummer this week.

But besides all the bad news, we also have some good news to tell you: Brose sent us the program of the company visit. The program will be the following:

Also the first students signed their Participation Agreements. All in all it was a busy week again. Hopefully next week will be more restful, so the committee can enjoy their holidays too.

After the first week of the holidays, we proud to announce that we have closed the registrations with 26 participants and have made reservations with the hostels. Also the first contact with Porsche have been made and we wrote a letter to Kirchoff for a company visit. Kirchoff is a company focusses on producing metal parts for automotive - look at http://www.kirchhoff-automotive.de/ for more information on this company.

Now you would be wondering at witch hostels we will staying. In Frankfurt we will be staying at the Frankfurt Hostel (more information on http://www.frankfurt-hostel.com/) and in Stuttgart we will be staying at the Jugendgästehaus Stuttgart (more information on http://www.backpacker-hostels.net/).

We'll keep you posted!

Today we got the furtunate message from Brose (Würzburg) they will welcome us for a company visit in the afternoon of the 29th of August. Brose is an engineering company, specialized in electric motors for different applications, ranging from window wipers to drive motors. During the company visit, we will visit the manufacturing plant. To get an idea of what we are going to see at Brose: amonst others, motors for air conditioning, electrical brake systems, steering motors and gear motors for actuators are made at their location in Würzburg.

The last week has been quite a busy week. The committee talked with lecturers about possible excursions for the empty time slots and many participants enrolled for the study trip. We're proud to announce the subscription mark has been hit and we have already 22 of the 30 participants. This means only eight spots are left, so be quick, because the subscriptions close next Monday, at July 1st. You can enroll by filling in a form at the Thor Room (PT 2.24). Asking questions is also possible at the Thor Room.

For the ones interested, we have included a provisional travel schedule:

As you can see, many excursions have not been confirmed yet, but we are confident we can arrange them in time, because we acquinted good contacts for these excursions.

Wednesday August 28th

Departure Eindhoven – Arrival Bochum

Company Visit: Brunel (confirmed)
Company Visit: Continental

Departure Bonn – Arrival Frankfurt am Main

Thursday August 29th

Free program in the morning.

Departure Frankfurt am Main – Arrival Würzburg

Company Visit: Brose (confirmed)

Departure Wurzburg – Arrival Stuttgart

Friday August 30 th

Company Visit: Omron (confirmed)
Company Visit: Porsche

Saturday August 31st

                Museum Tour: Mercedes Museum

Sunday September 1st

Departure Stuttgart – Arrival Eindhoven

We will keep you posted!

After the first months of hard work, the trip is finally coming together. The first participants have registered for the trip, the first excursions have been confirmed with Brunel and OMRON and also the finances are starting to come together.

If you have any questions concerning the study trip, don't hesitate to ask one of the committee members, they will be willing to answer your questions. Enrolling is possible at the Thor Room (PT 2.24). We will update this page regularly with the newest updates concerning the trip.

The trip will take place between Wednesday the 28th of August and Sunday the 1st of September 2013, at the end of the summer break.

A lot of effort has been put in organizing the study trip and of today the registrations for the trip are opened. The first excursions are confirmed with Brunel in Bochum and OMRON in Stuttgart. Also the travel schedule is coming together; a few excursions still need to be arranged, but we are confident that the trip will have enough content. In a few weeks we hope to have more clarity about the participants and have started with arranging the overnight stays and bus tour.

Not even 3 weeks ago we started organizing a study trip to Germany with the theme of Automotive in the upcoming summer holidays. By then everything seemed quite unrealistic. Now - 3 weeks later - I am confident we are going to make it. The first contacts in Germany have been made, the first students have showed their interest in participating and, last but not least, the committee is prepared to go all out to organize the trip. Nevertheless the deadlines are tight, considering we are trying to organise a 5 day study trip in a mere 4 months.