The 4th Business Environment Germany 2017 to the Duale-Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW), Karlsruhe was not the usual IGTC delegation to Germany. It was an extraordinary group of 25 curious, learning enthusiasts – some young PGPBA (Post Graduate Programme in Business Administration) students, some eminent EBMP (Executive Business Management Programme) managers in respectable positions in German companies in India, entrepreneurs and some passionate IGTC alumni, along with Radhieka Mehta, Director, Indo-German Training Centre – who were passionate about imbibing every little detail like an sponge.
It was not only this eclectic mix that brought the spark to the 12-day Studienreise (Study trip), but more importantly the precise planning and unfathomable warmth of the DHBW faculty – Prof. Dr. Stephan Schenkel, Prof. Volker Ihle, Prof. Peter Lehmeier, Prof. Dr. Birgit Franken, Prof. Dr. Bernhard Herold, Prof. Dr. Dirk Eidam, Prof. Eric Zimmerman, Dr. Anita Dreischer, Ms. Birgit Schlenker, Prof. Dr. Angela Diehl-Becker and Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Schäfer, along with respected Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Mengele from IHK Karlsruhe – that made the trip a truly, intensive intercultural learning experience. This proudly titled “IGTC team” was nothing less than our family in Germany. They did not leave any stone unturned to give us the opportunity to see, know and understand a new culture and a new country in the right perspective. They made the trip the most exhilarating experience!
The roller coaster ride was a jam-packed schedule that ensured we extracted maximum learning with equal amounts of fun and thrill from this programme. We gained some key insights through our visits to educational institutions such as DHBW and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), official institutions such as the Rathaus (Town Hall) and the Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK) Karlsruhe, and the various German companies such as dm-drogerie markt, Siemens, Daimler-Benz and SEW Eurodrive. Some critical insights included:
- The mechatronics lab and application-based innovative student projects at DHBW Karlsruhe
- The commitment towards green energy by the scientists and researchers who were developing fuel from straw at KIT
- The depth of collaboration in the areas of smart cities and technology exchange between Germany and India at the Wirtschaftsförderung, Stadt Karlsruhe>
- The impact of dual vocational education and training at IHK Karlsruhe
- The 100% automation in the body shop and 70% automation in the assembly shop at the Daimler factory at Rastatt
- The apt use of Autumated Guided Vehicles (AVG) and the synchronisation of the robots at SEW Eurodrive, a gear-drive manufacturing company
- The use of automation and technology to ease employees’ work and to make processing fool proof and efficient at the central warehouse of Germany’s most preferred retail giant dm- Drogerie Markt
Beyond the company visits, the important other half of the story was the people, the food and the places that made the trip so memorable! Did we ever imagine being a part of the first-time ever-organized “India Summer Days in Karlsruhe? But it seemed like the most perfect welcome organized for us. Within minutes, it had all of us dancing on stage amidst a pure German audience on authentic Marathi and Bollywood songs. The visit to Heidelberg, the Bruchsal Palace and the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments made us all feel like we had entered a fairy tale. The two most mesmerizing days of the trip were the visits to Strasbourg and Baden-Baden, and the leisurely Sunday in the Black Forest. The eternally peaceful mass at St. Petersburg, the live demonstration of making a Black Forest cake, the cuckoo clock with Edelweiss playing in the background will be memories that we will all cherish for a very long time. Visiting the local street festival, rowing boats on a beautiful pond, jumping into water fountains and enjoying a toy-train ride at the scenic and beautiful Schlossgarten, hiking up to Michaelsberg, balancing ourselves between tree tops and coming down zip-lines at the Kletterpark and indulging in maultaschen, spätzle, langos, crêpes, apfelstrudel flammkuchen and varieties of beer…we just did it all.
We realised that the best Studienreise in another country does not only come from visiting the companies, but only from the people and places we get to know during the trip! Each day, the company and guidance of the enthusiastic DHBW professor made the places come more alive. They explained the history and significance of the places, while also indulging us in retail therapy and fulfilling every little demand. The cheerful, warm and welcoming nature of the natives in Karlsruhe, who helped us whenever we needed it – whether on trams or in restaurants or with directions in the city streets – made the journey tremendously fascinating. As we learnt to look outside of pre-conceived notions, we could not help but admire the German way – their dedication towards discipline, cleanliness, freedom, efficiency, perfection, time management and partying!
We realised that the best Studienreise in another country does not only come from visiting the companies, but only from the people and places we get to know during the trip! Each day, the company and guidance of the enthusiastic DHBW professor made the places come more alive. They explained the history and significance of the places, while also indulging us in retail therapy and fulfilling every little demand. The cheerful, warm and welcoming nature of the natives in Karlsruhe, who helped us whenever we needed it – whether on trams or in restaurants or with directions in the city streets – made the journey tremendously fascinating. As we learnt to look outside of pre-conceived notions, we could not help but admire the German way – their dedication towards discipline, cleanliness, freedom, efficiency, perfection, time management and partying!
