Data privacy statement

The following privacy statement applies to use of this website.

You can find data protection notices with additional information for applicants, as well as for visitors, business partners, and prospective clients here:

• Data protection notice for visitors/business partners/prospective clients

We attach great importance to data protection. The collection and processing of your personal data is performed in compliance with valid data protection regulations, in particular the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

This declaration describes how and to what purpose your data is recorded and used, as well as the options you have with regard to personal data.

By using this website, you agree to the collection, use, and transmission of your data in line with this privacy statement.

1. Name and contact details of the person responsible for processing, as well as the company data protection officer

This data protection information applies to data processing by:

Person responsible:

GKD – Gebr. Kufferath AG (in the following: GKD)
Metallweberstraße 46
52353 Düren
Germany

You can contact our company data protection officer using the above address or by sending a mail to: privacy@gkd.de.

2. Collection and storage of personal data, as well as the type and purpose of their use

a) When visiting the website

When calling up our website, information is automatically sent to the server of our website by your web browser. This information is stored temporarily in a so-called log file. The following information is collected without any action on your part here and then saved until the point of automated deletion:

• IP address of the computer making the request
• Date and time of access
• Name and URL of the file called up
• Website from which access was made (referrer URL)
• Browser used and potentially also the operating system of your computer, as well as the name of your access provider

The stated data is processed by us for the following purposes:

• Guaranteeing a smooth connection to the website
• Guaranteeing convenient use of our website
• Evaluating system security and stability
• Other administrative purposes

The legal basis for data processing is Art. 6 (1) P. 1 lit. f of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation). Our legitimate interest is associated with the data collection purposes listed above. Under no circumstances will we use the collected data for the purpose of drawing conclusions regarding your person.

In addition to this, we employ cookies and analytical services for those using our website. You can find more detailed information on this in sections 4 and 5 of this privacy statement.

b) When subscribing to our newsletter or other product information

Insofar as you have given your express permission pursuant to Art. 6 (1) P. 1 lit. a of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation), we will use your e-mail address to send you our newsletter and/or up-to-date information on our products and services.

Should you no longer be interested in receiving this information, you can revoke your consent at any time. We include a link at the end of each e-mail we send with a newsletter or other product information that you can use to opt out (unsubscribe) from our information service.

When sending out newsletters, we use the services of CleverReach GmbH & Co. KG, Mühlenstraße 43, 26180 Rastede, Germany, to whom we forward the data you provide when subscribing to the newsletter. This forwarding takes place in line with Art. 6 (1) lit. f of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) and serves our legitimate interest in the use of a promotionally effective, secure, and user-friendly newsletter system. The data entered by you for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter (for example your e-mail address) is saved on the servers of CleverReach in Germany or Ireland.

CleverReach uses this information to send out and also statistically evaluate the newsletter on our behalf. For the evaluation, the e-mails sent out contain so-called web beacons or tracking pixels that are stored on our website. This allows us to determine whether a newsletter message has been opened and which links have been clicked, if any. Using so-called conversion tracking, it is also possible to analyze whether a previously defined action has taken place after clicking on the link in the newsletter. Technical information is also collected (for example the time of calling up the respective content, IP address, browser type, and operating system). The data is collected exclusively in pseudonymized form and not linked to your other personal data. As such, any notion of direct personal references is completely ruled out. This data is used exclusively for statistical analysis of newsletter campaigns. The results of these analyses can be used to adapt future newsletters more effectively to the interests of the recipients. If you wish to object to the data analysis for statistical evaluation purposes, you will need to unsubscribe from the newsletter.

We have signed an order processing contract with CleverReach, in which we oblige CleverReach to protect the data of our customers and not forward it to third parties.

You can find further information on the data analysis performed by CleverReach here:
https://www.cleverreach.com/en/features/reporting-tracking/

You can view CleverReach’s privacy statement here:
https://www.cleverreach.com/en/privacy-policy/

c) When using our contact form

Should you have questions of any kind, we offer you the opportunity to get in touch with us via the form provided on our website. You will need to specify a valid e-mail address and state your company name. Other entries can be made on a voluntary basis. We store the data you enter in order to process your request. We do this in case there are follow-up questions or for any potential order processing that may result. The data processing for the purpose of establishing contact with us is performed in line with Art. 6 (1) P. 1 lit. a of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) on the basis of your freely given consent.

d) When ordering samples

You can order fabric/mesh samples and information material via our website. We use the personal entries you make in the order form to process your sample/information order, for any potential questions from our side, and as reference for any inquiries or orders you subsequently place. The legal basis is your voluntary consent in line with Art. 6 (1) P. 1 lit. a of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) or, if applicable, the processing of contractual, precontractual, or equivalent measures pursuant to Art. 6 (1) P. 1 lit. b of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation).

e) When setting up an account

It may be necessary for you to set up an account in order to use several of our services, such as downloads. We use the personal data you define when subscribing for the purposes of technical administration of the website and statistics, as well as to send you any necessary messages in this context.

We may have to send you certain notifications such as service announcements and administration messages. These messages are part of the services provided with your account, and you may not be able to unsubscribe from them.

If you would like to delete your account, please inform us of this by sending an e-mail to support@gkd.de. Your account will then be promptly deleted.

3. Sharing data

As a general rule, we only use your personal data within our company.

If and insofar as we engage third parties within the scope of fulfilling contracts (such as logistics service providers), these parties only receive this personal data in the scope which is required in order to deliver the corresponding service.

In the event that we outsource certain parts of our data processing operations (“order processing”), we contractually obligate our order processors only to use personal data in line with the requirements of the data protection legislation and to guarantee protection of the rights of the person in question.

With the exception of the cases listed under section 5a of this declaration (Google Analytics), no data transfer is performed to authorities or persons outside the EU and there are also no plans to do so in the future.

4. Cookies

We use cookies on our website. These are small files that are automatically generated by your browser and then saved on your terminal (laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.) when you visit our website. Cookies do not do any damage on your terminal, do not contain any viruses, trojans, or other malware.

The cookie is used to store information generated in the context of the specific terminal being used. However, this does not mean that we gain any knowledge regarding your identity.

Cookies are primarily used to make it more pleasant for you to search our website. We therefore use so-called session cookies to detect when you have already visited individual pages of our website. These session cookies are automatically deleted once you leave our website.

In addition to this, we also use temporary cookies to optimize user friendliness. These are stored on your terminal for a specified period of time. If you then visit our website again to use our services, the system automatically detects that you have already visited us and what entries and settings you have made, so that you do not have to enter all this information again.

We also use cookies to statistically record the use of our website and for the purpose of optimizing our offer for you (see section 5). These cookies enable us to automatically detect that you have already visited our website when you visit it again. They are automatically deleted after a defined time period.

The data processed by the cookies is required for the stated purposes in order to safeguard our legitimate interests, as well as those of third parties pursuant to Art. 6 (1) P. 1 lit. f of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation).

Most browsers automatically accept cookies. However, you can also configure your browser in such a way that no cookies are saved on your computer or that a message always appears before a new cookie is created. Completely deactivating cookies, however, can lead to a situation in which you are no longer able to use all the functions of our website.

5. Google reCAPTCHA

To offer protection when sending forms (for example newsletter subscriptions, account set-up, contact forms, sample orders), we use the reCAPTCHA service of Google Ireland Limited (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Irland) in certain cases. This service is used to determine whether an entry has been made by a real person or improperly through automated, machine-based processing. The service includes transmission of the IP address to Google and, if applicable, also further data required for the reCAPTCHA service. The data protection provisions of Google Ireland Limited apply here. You can find the privacy statement of Google Ireland Limited at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?gl=de&hl=en

6. Tracking tools

The tracking measures listed in the following and employed by us are performed on the basis of Art. 6 (1) P. 1 lit. f of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation). Our objective with the tracking measures we employ is to secure a requirements-based design and continuous optimization of our website. We also use tracking measures to statistically record the use of our website and for the purpose of optimizing our offer for you. These interests should be seen as legitimate in the sense of the aforementioned regulation.

The respective data processing purposes and data categories are derived from the corresponding tracking tools.

a) Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics, a web analysis service provided by Google Inc, to secure a requirements-based design and continuous optimization of our web pages. (https://www.google.de/intl/en/about/) (Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Irland; referred to as “Google” in the following). In this context, pseudonymized usage profiles are created and cookies used (see section 4).

Certain information generated by the cookie regarding your use of this website is transferred to a Google server in the US, where it is saved. This includes:

• Browser type/version
• Operating system in use
• Referrer URL (previously visited page)
• Host name of the accessing computer (IP address)
• Time of the server request

The information is used to evaluate usage of the website, to generate reports regarding website activities, and to perform further services associated with usage of the website and the Internet for purposes of market research and requirements-based design of these web pages. In certain cases, this information is also transferred to third parties, insofar as this is legally stipulated or insofar as third parties are processing this data on our behalf. Under no circumstances is your IP address stored together with other data by Google. The IP addresses are anonymized, rendering any potential personal assignment impossible (IP masking).

You can prevent installation of the cookies by changing a corresponding setting in your browser software. However, it is important to note that you may then no longer be able to access or use all functions of this website in their full scope.

You can also prevent collection of the data that is generated by the cookie on the basis of your usage of the website (including your IP address), as well as processing of this data by Google by downloading and installing a browser add-on (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en).

As an alternative to the browser add-on, particularly for browsers on mobile devices, you can also prevent data collection by Google Analytics by clicking on this link. An opt-out cookie is then set, which prevents any future collection of your data when you visit this website. The opt-out cookie is saved on your device, but only applies to this specific browser and our website. If you delete the cookies in this browser, you will need to set up the opt-out cookie again.

You can find further information on data protection in the context of Google Analytics in Google Analytics Help (https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en).

b) Google AdWords conversion tracking

We also use Google conversion tracking to statistically record the use of our website and evaluate it for the purpose of optimizing our online content. Here, Google AdWords places a cookie (see section 4) on your computer, insofar as you accessed our website via a Google ad.

These cookies lapse after 30 days and are not used for personal identification purposes. If the user visits certain pages of the AdWords customer’s website and the cookie has not yet lapsed, Google and the customer can recognize that the user has clicked on the ad and was forwarded to this page.

Each AdWords customer receives a different cookie. Cookies therefore cannot be tracked via the websites of AdWords customers. The information collected using the conversion cookie is used to produce conversion statistics for AdWords customers who have chosen to go with conversion tracking. The AdWords customers learn the total number of users that have clicked on their ad and were forwarded to a site employing a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive any information that they could use to personally identify users.

If you do not wish to participate in the tracking process, you can also decline the cookie required for this – for example via a browser setting which generally deactivates automatic cookie acceptance.

You can permanently deactivate cookies for ads preferences through a corresponding setting of your browser software or by downloading and installing the browser plug-in via the following link: https://support.google.com/ads/answer/7395996?hl=en

Please be aware that deactivating the use of cookies may prevent certain functions of this website from working properly.

You can find further information on Google’s data protection provisions at the URL shown below: https://policies.google.com/privacy?gl=de&hl=en

c) Hotjar

We use Hotjar in order to better understand our users’ needs and to optimize this service and experience. Hotjar is a technology service that helps us better understand our users’ experience (e.g. how much time they spend on which pages, which links they choose to click, what users do and don’t like, etc.) and this enables us to build and maintain our service with user feedback. Hotjar uses cookies and other technologies to collect data on our users’ behavior and their devices (in particular device’s IP address (captured and stored only in anonymized form), device screen size, device type (unique device identifiers), browser information, geographic location (country only), preferred language used to display our website). Hotjar stores this information in a pseudonymized user profile. Neither Hotjar nor we will ever use this information to identify individual users or to match it with further data on an individual user. For further details, please see Hotjar’s privacy policy by clicking on this link.
You can opt-out to the creation of a user profile, Hotjar’s storing of data about your usage of our site and Hotjar’s use of tracking cookies on other websites by following this opt-out link.

7. YouTube videos

We use the provider YouTube for integrating videos. The extended data protection mode is used here, which only initiates storage of user information based on provider information during playback of the video(s). If playback of embedded YouTube videos is started, the provider uses “YouTube” cookies to collect information regarding user behavior. Based on information provided by YouTube, this is used for various purposes, including capturing video statistics, improving user-friendliness, and preventing misuse/abuse of the service.

This also leads to a connection being established with the Google DoubleClick network. When you start the video, this could also trigger further data processing operations. We have absolutely no influence on this.

You can find further information on data protection at “YouTube” in the provider’s privacy statement at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?gl=de&hl=en

8. Storage period

Insofar as not specifically stated, we delete or block personal data as soon as the reason for storage no longer applies.

Data can also be stored if provided for by the European or national legislator in Union rules, legislation, or other regulations to which the person responsible is subject. The data is also blocked or deleted when a retention period prescribed by the aforementioned standards expires, unless the data needs to be stored further for the purpose of contract conclusion or fulfillment.

9. Rights of those affected

You have the right:

• to request information in line with Art. 15 of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) regarding the personal data processed by us. In particular, you can request information regarding the purposes of processing, the category of personal data, and the categories of recipients to whom your data is/has been made available, the planned storage period, the existence of a right to rectification, deletion, restriction, or blocking of processing, the existence of a right of appeal, the origin of your data, insofar as this was not collected by us, as well as the existence of an automated decision-making process, including profiling and (if applicable) meaningful information on its details;
• to request immediate rectification of your incorrect or incomplete personal data stored by us in line with Art. 16 of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation);
• to request deletion of your personal data stored by us in line with Art.17 of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation), insofar as the processing is not required for exercising the right to freedom of expression and information, to fulfill a legal obligation, for reasons of public interest, or for assertion, exercise, or defense of legal rights;
• to request restriction of the processing of your personal data in line with Art. 18 of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation), insofar as you are contesting the correctness of the data, the processing is unlawful yet you refuse its deletion and we no longer require the data, but you still require it in order to assert, exercise, or defend legal rights, or you have objected to the processing in line with Art. 21 of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation);
• to request receipt of your personal data which you have made available to us in a structured, standard, and machine-readable format in line with Art. 20 of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) or to transmit this data to a different person responsible;
• to revoke the consent you have provided us at any time in line with Art. 7 (3) of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation). However, this leads to a situation in which we are no longer authorized to continue data processing that was based on this consent for the future and
• to the right to lodge a complaint at a supervisory authority in line with Art. 77 of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation).

10. Right to object

Insofar as your personal data is processed on the basis of a legitimate interest in line with Art. 6 (1) P. 1 lit. f of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation), you have the right in line with Art. 21 of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) to object to processing of your personal data, insofar as there are reasons for this which result from your special situation or the objection is aimed at direct advertising. In the case of direct advertising, you have a general right to object that is implemented by us, even without specification of a special situation.

If you would like to make use of your right to object, simply send an e-mail to privacy@gkd.de.

11. Data security

We use the widespread SSL process (secure socket layer) for website visits in connection with the highest level of encryption supported by your browser. This is generally 256-bit encryption. If your browser does not support 256-bit encryption, we use 128-bit v3 technology instead. You can see whether an individual page of our online presence is transmitted with encryption by the closed depiction of the key or lock icon in your browser’s status bar.

We also employ suitable technical and organizational security measures to protect your data from random or intentional manipulation, partial or complete loss, destruction, and from unauthorized access by third parties. Our security measures are also subject to continuous improvement based on technological developments.

12. Status and changes to this privacy statement

This privacy statement is currently valid and has the status of May 2018.

This privacy statement may require modification as a result of further development of our website and offers relating to it or due to altered statutory/regulatory requirements. The latest privacy statement can be viewed and printed via the following URL: https://www.gkd-group.com/en/privacy-policy/.

Data privacy statement