So this manufacturing plant in Mannheim, Germany built only buses. It was interesting to see a product-oriented plant rather than a process-oriented one and how they function. Since every bus is unique, they can’t build on them on a conventional assembly line. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about visiting a bus plant, but it was great and certainly shows you a different perspective of manufacturing.

Next, we visited a WWII trench fortress in Lembach, France. Kinda creepy, but reaaaally interesting. I enjoy war history so this was a treat to see how soldiers lived in these bunkers for months. I was taken back by the technology in this facility; for its time, it’s very impressive and well thought out. One example, the 70-ton cannons above the fort can be lifted by one person with the mechanical mechanism in place, crazy right?