Today we ventured to the town of Mladá Boleslav where we explored Škoda. Škoda is a renowned auto manufacturer, supplying many cars to the Czech Republic and all across the world. It is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen group. Our morning began with a walkthrough of the Škoda Auto Museum, where we explored the progression of the company’s products, beginning with auto bikes. A brief history on each vehicle was provided, as well of some important figures in engineering, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship. We also viewed a concept car, which provides inspiration to the future designs of Škoda products. This tour set a foundation for what we were about to experience the rest of the day.
Our next adventure was my favorite of the day. We had the privilege to go inside the factory! We viewed the assembly section as well as the body shop, where individual car components were produced. I was impressed with the duality of manual labor and cutting edge robotic technology. There were many individuals working directly on the assembly line, repeating the same step for every car in the line. The robotic machines were very impressive in their precision, sharpness and speed.
I am not a mechanical engineering student, so a lot of this was new to me. However, it deepened my understanding of automobile technology. I enjoyed seeing various familiar car parts being inserted into the skeleton frame of the car. In general, it was cool to see a product I am so familiar with being broken down into its various components. The process is complicated, and so I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for all of the mechanics that go into producing a safe, cutting-edge vehicle.
At the very end of our day, we stopped at Škoda Motorsport for a lecture and brief walkthrough of their facilities. This experience provides insight into the competitive use of these cars and the intentionality behind their design. I’m curious to look more into the Motorsport of rally, in which racers compete through natural areas such as wooded terrains or mountainous regions.
Overall, this was a super interesting day; while the mechanical information was a bit out of my comfort zone, seeing the manufacturing in real time helped me to understand how humans contribute to the development of such machinery.
Swanson School of Engineering 