SEW-EURODRIVE LTD: DATA PRIVACY & COOKIES POLICY



SEW-EURODRIVE Limited (hereinafter: SEW-EURODRIVE) thanks you for visiting our website and for your interest in our products and our company. The privacy and protection of your personal data is important to us and we take this into account in all our business processes. We therefore process your personal data by taking the applicable data protection regulations into account, in particular the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

On this website, we provide you with information on data processing for all processing steps at SEW-EURODRIVE. Please select a link below for which processing step you would like to receive more detailed information. Please contact our data protection officer at SEW-EURODRIVE if you have any questions or about Data protection in general. The following information is available:


I. Personal data

II. Data protection information on using the www.sew-eurodrive.co.uk website

III. Data protection information for customers and interested parties of SEW-EURODRIVE

IV. Data protection information for job applicants at SEW-EURODRIVE

V. Your rights as a person affected

I. Definition of personal data

Personal data is defined as all information that relates to an identified or identifiable natural person. This includes, for example, your name, your (business) contact details, your phone number or e-mail address and relationship to a company, and your interactions/activities with us.

When you use our website, personal data in the form of information about your use of our website, for instance, may be processed. This includes, for instance, connection data or sources retrieved by you. This information is usually collected by using log files and cookies.

In the case of applications, personal data includes your name, your (business and private) contact information, your address, hobbies or information about sicknesses and your tax status (with your religion). We shall treat all information you send us, if applicable also your picture, any information about your health condition or other private information as application data.

II. Data protection information for the http://www.sew-eurodrive.co.uk website

In the following, SEW-EURODRIVE, the owner of the http://www.sew-eurodrive.co.uk website would like to give you an overview of how we ensure the protection of your personal data on our website and further online contact forms, and which type of personal data we process for which purposes and to which extent.

1. Data processing – Offers on our website

When you access our website, general information is automatically collected. This information (server log files) includes the type of web browser, the operating system used, the domain name of your internet service provider and similar. In addition, the IP address is transmitted and used to utilise the service you requested. This information is required from a technical point of view in order to correctly provide you with the requested information of websites and is mandatory when using the internet. The log file data is immediately deleted by us. The legal basis for this is Article 6(1) (1) (f) GDPR.

If you use any services that are offered on our website, further personal data from you may be collected. We will process this data to the extent necessary for providing the services you requested. In addition, you may create further personal data voluntarily. We will describe the legal basis in the following individually presented functions and offerings. Your data will be kept confidential by us and deleted or blocked within the context of the legal provisions.

If you send us an enquiry by e-mail, we will collect data you provide for processing your enquiry and will fulfill your requests, if applicable. The legal basis for both cases is Article 6(1) (1) (f) GDPR.

There will be no further processing of your data by us or any other company beyond this purpose, with the exception of the use as described below, unless a statutory authorisation applies or you have provided the corresponding consent.

If you provide us with your contact details in the context of concluding an agreement or via registration at our customer portal, please take note of the information on data protection mentioned under IV.

2. Safety notes

We take technical and operational security measures on our websites to protect personal data stored by us against access by third parties, loss or misuse, and to enable secure data transfer.

We would like to point out that due to the structure of the internet, unintentional data access by third parties may occur. It is therefore also your responsibility to protect your data by encryption or any other method against misuse. Without the corresponding security measures, especially data that is transmitted without encryption, including by e-mail, may also be read by third parties.

3. Cookies

Our website uses so-called cookies. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your end device and that are saved by your browser. They are used to make our offerings more user-friendly, effective and secure. We use so-called temporary cookies that are automatically deleted once you close your browser ("session cookies"), as well as persistent (permanent) cookies.

On the one hand, the use of cookies serves to display the website. On the other hand, cookies are used to continuously improve our offering to you and allow you an optimal use of the website. Information collected by means of these cookies is used for statistical purposes. By using the website, you have given your consent for using cookies for analyses and the creation of statistical reports.

You have the choice to approve that cookies are set. You can make changes in your browser settings. You always have the choice to select if you accept all cookies, would like to be informed when cookies are set or disallow all cookies. If you choose the latter variant, you may possibly not be able to use our offering to its full extent. Please see further below in the outline of individual functions for additional information on the cookies we use and the associated data processing steps. Below, we provide you with an overview of the services and functions used on this website for which cookies are used.

4. Creating statistical reports using etracker

Services from etracker GmbH based in Hamburg, Germany ( www.etracker.com) are used on this website to analyse utilisation data. In this context, cookies are used to enable a statistical analysis of the utilisation of this website by its users, and to display utilisation-related content or advertising. etracker cookies do not include any information that would make it possible to identify a user.

The data generated is processed and stored on our behalf by etracker exclusively in Germany and is therefore subject to the German and European data protection laws and standards. etracker has been tested and certified by an independent institute in this respect and has been awarded the data protection quality seal ePrivacyseal.

The data is processed on the basis of the legal provisions of Article 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our objective as defined by the GDPR (legitimate interests) is the analysis regarding the use of our website and regular optimisation of our online offering, as well as our web appearance in order to make it more interesting to you as a user by means of the statistical reports acquired. Since the privacy of our visitors is very important to us, any data that may allow for a reference to an individual person, such as IP address, login and device identifications, is anonymised or pseudonymised as quickly as possible. There is no other utilisation, combination with other data of etracker or dissemination to third parties.

You can object against the above data processing at any time, as far as it is related to personal data:

I object against data processing by etracker on this website here
Your Opt-out was successful!

You can find more information about data protection at etracker

5. Creation of statistical reports on utilisation by SEW-EURODRIVE

In addition, we use our own internally developed tool in order to analyse the use of our website and to allow us to improve our website regularly. With the acquired statistical reports, we are able to improve our offering and make it more interesting for you as a user. For this purpose, we use an anonymisation function with which the IP addresses are further processed in shortened format; this precludes any direct personal reference. The legal basis for the creation of these analyses is Article 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR. Within the scope of the analysis, cookies (for more details, please see Item 5) are saved to your end device. Information that has been collected in this manner is saved by us exclusively on our server in Germany.

Preventing company-related tracking so that we can also collect general data is possible if you object to tracking with the tool of SEW-EURODRIVE using the following Link
Your Opt-out of company-related tracking was successful!

If you do not want any type of analysis during use via your end device, then object to tracking with the tool of SEW-EURODRIVE using the following here
Your opt-out was sucessful!

6. Customer and online support

We allow you comprehensive interaction with us if you visit our Online Support account at. Once you register, you will have access to many functions and services of SEW-EURODRIVE. The processing purposes and processed data can be ascertained from the individual functions, e.g. drawing up sales contracts, requesting the delivery status or carrying out troubleshooting..

The legal basis for your registration with the Online Support is Article 6(1)(1)(b) GDPR. Please note our supplementary data protection information in Item 3 regarding ordering specific services and further processing of your data.

7. Social media offering

a) Embedding of YouTube videos

On individual websites we have embedded YouTube videos that are saved at http://www.youtube.com and can be played back directly on our website. These videos are included in the "extended data protection mode", i.e. no data about you as a user will be transmitted to YouTube if you do not play back the videos. The data is only transmitted when you play back the videos. We cannot influence this data transmission.

By playing back the embedded videos, YouTube receives the information that you have accessed the corresponding page on our website, and it is furthermore possible that other data is transmitted to YouTube of which we have no knowledge. This will occur regardless of whether YouTube has provided a user account through which you have logged in or if no user account exists. If you are logged in to YouTube, your data will be directly allocated to your account. If you do not want this allocation to your profile with YouTube, you must log out before you activate the button. YouTube saves your data as utilisation profiles and uses it for the purposes of advertising, market research and/or demand-based design of its website. Such an analysis can be carried out (even for users that are not logged in) especially for providing demand-based advertisements and to inform other YouTube users about your activities on our website. You have the right to object against the creation of these user profiles. Such requests must be addressed to YouTube.

Please see the data privacy statement of YouTube for further information on the purpose and extent of data collection and processing. This is also where you will find further information about your rights and setting options to protect your privacy: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=gb&gl=uk. Google also processes your personal data in the USA and has subjected itself to the EU-US Privacy Shield, https://www.privacyshield.gov.

8. Use of external links

Our websites contain links to other websites from other providers. SEW-EURODRIVE is not responsible for the data protection policies or the content of other websites.

III. Data protection information for customers and interested parties of SEW-EURODRIVE

1. Scope of data processing and designated uses

a) Contract performance

SEW-EURODRIVE processes the data that we receive from you as part of your inquiries or existing contractual relationships. In addition to your business contact details, this comprises all information that is exchanged, such as e-mails, orders, requests for our products, and payment details. If you have business relationships with us, you must provide the personal data that is necessary for preparation or performance of the contracts or that we are legally required to process, otherwise we cannot fulfill the contracts.

SEW-EURODRIVE processes the data provided during order placement for use in fulfillment of the contract and may employ specialised and monitored service providers for this purpose. Processing of the data for the purpose of contract fulfillment comprises using the data to render the service stipulated by the contract, including rendering of services defined in service agreements or handling of any warranty claims. In addition, if a request for financing is made, the data required for generating a quotation may be used by SEW EURODRIVE and, if necessary, passed on to contractual partners. Further details regarding the purposes of use can be found in the relevant contractual documents. This data processing is carried out based on Article 6(1) (1) (b) GDPR.

Data collected by SEW-EURODRIVE regarding the purchase of our products or use of our services may also be passed on to the external auditors and/or tax consultants of SEW-EURODRIVE for consulting and verification purposes. SEW-EURODRIVE saves the data collected for fulfillment of the contract in its operative system as long as warranty claims or other purposes of use laid out in this declaration still apply. Afterwards, data that is subject to the retention obligations specified in UK law are archived and then deleted once these retention obligations expire. All other data is deleted immediately, unless this declaration specifies other designated uses for this data. Data is processed for warranty claims in accordance with Article 6(1) (1) (b) GDPR, and for fulfillment of legal obligations in accordance with Article 6(1) (1) (c) GDPR.

b) Verification of address and credit

To verify your address and credit rating, SEW-EURODRIVE accesses databases from external agencies in order to gather address details and credit data about your company, including data that was calculated using statistical methods (scoring). This gathering is done as long as SEW-EURODRIVE is undertaking a commercial risk in concluding the contract and seeks to safeguard itself through this credit check. This information is used by SEW-EURODRIVE to grant trade credit for goods or services.

The following agencies provide addresses and credit data to SEW-EURODRIVE:

• Creditsafe Limited

• HSBC Bank plc

The information provided by the agencies and the internal information regarding payment behavior are internally evaluated by SEW-EURODRIVE, which then creates its own rating for use as a basis for granting a credit limit. This mode of data processing is performed in accordance with Article 6(1) (1 )(f) GDPR in order to grant you trade credit for goods and services.

c) Promotional use of data by SEW-EURODRIVE

SEW-EURODRIVE and its contracted service providers (print shops, letter shops, etc.) use for promotional purposes your name and address – as the contact person in ongoing business relationships – and those of interested parties, as well as data collected within the scope of the business relationship (contact details, products purchased, services ordered, etc.). SEW-EURODRIVE provides additional information about products and services from the SEW-EURODRIVE Group and conducts analyses for marketing purposes (so-called web scoring). Data analyses for promotional purposes may also incorporate data that you have consented to provide to SEW-EURODRIVE. The goal of these promotional contacts is to notify you of the latest developments regarding our products and services to ensure that we can provide you with the services you need and thereby establish a long-lasting business relationship.

SEW-EURODRIVE uses your telephone number for promotional purposes only if you have given your consent or if consent can be reasonably presumed – for example, within an existing business relationship or after previous contact. SEW-EURODRIVE also uses the e-mail addresses that are obtained from the contact persons when contracts are concluded to advertise similar offers. Of course, you have the right to refuse these promotional contacts. We will notify you of your right to object in each separate case.

To achieve the goals associated with this promotional usage, we will process your data over the service lives of our products and as long as you remain a customer. Exceptions are made if you consent to a longer period of usage and/or if the data is subject to statutory retention obligations. In the latter case, the data is deleted after the retention period has elapsed. The processing period may be shorter if you exercise your right to object, which we inform you of in section IV.

The legal basis for this promotional usage is Article 6(1)(1)(f) GDPR or, if you have provided consent, Article 6(1)(1)(a) GDPR. We inform you of your rights regarding promotional usage below, in particular your right to object.

d) Processing of personal data due to legal obligations

SEW-EURODRIVE, like every other company in Europe, is subject to various legal obligations to verify the data of our customers and business partners. In such cases, we process your personal data only to the extent that is legally required. To fulfill these legal obligations, it may be necessary to process some of your data automatically in order to evaluate personal aspects (profiling). Unless you are expressly notified, automated individual decision-making is conducted. The legal basis for this processing is Article 6(1)(1)(c) GDPR in conjunction with the applicable statutory provisions.

These statutory provisions relate to, in particular:

• Prevention of fraud and money laundering

• Tax auditing and reporting requirements

• Evaluation and management of risks in the Group

• Sanctions lists

2. Dissemination of data within the SEW-EURODRIVE Group

SEW-EURODRIVE may pass on your master data (company name, contact persons, address and contact details such as telephone number and e-mail address) to other companies within the SEW-EURODRIVE Group and possibly update it in order to ensure that all SEW-EURODRIVE subsidiaries involved with you in a transaction (e.g. fulfilling a contract) have the same master data. This is intended to simplify our processes and may help you avoid having to provide the master data again when contacting another company within the Group. The legal basis for this mode of data processing is Article 6(1)(1)(b) GDPR. Your rights are safeguarded by internal contractual policies that ensure a high standard of data protection.

In addition to master data, order data may be passed on to other SEW-EURODRIVE subsidiaries if necessary for your order. For example, different SEW-EURODRIVE products are manufactured by different SEW-EURODRIVE subsidiaries, so data may need to be transferred to simplify order processing and delivery. In such cases, you will be informed of this transfer upon conclusion of the contract. The legal basis for this processing is Article 6(1)(1)(b) GDPR.

If your company is based outside of the United Kingdom, an SEW-EURODRIVE subsidiary associated with us will be responsible for managing and processing your contracts or inquires. Therefore, if you wish to receive contract offers or additional information about SEW-EURODRIVE and our products, the personal information we have stored for you (in particular: name, contact details, associated company, products in which you are interested) must be transferred to the SEW-EURODRIVE subsidiary that is responsible for your company's location. This international representative of ours will use your personal data unless you object to the dissemination or saving of your data in these subsidiaries.

This may result in your master data being processed in SEW-EURODRIVE subsidiaries outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA). In cases where the EU Commission has not specified an appropriate level of data protection, we have made contractual commitments; generally, we have concluded the EU standard contractual clauses. You can find a list of the companies belonging to the Group here. This data is subject to the same deletion policies described above.

IV. Data protection information for job applicants at SEW-EURODRIVE

If you apply at SEW-EURODRIVE, the principles for data processing as described below shall apply. After hiring you, we will inform you about data processing separately in the context of concluding the contract.

1. Scope of data processing and designated uses

a) Internal data processing when checking your application

We process the data you have provided in the context of your application for the purposes of checking your application and verifying suitability for the advertised position. If you have given consent during your application, we will check during the hiring process if, based on your qualifications, you are a candidate for positions other than the one you applied for. In order to check your application we may involve specialised service providers. Suitable applications for a position are forwarded by HR to the corresponding department or subsidiary for further evaluation. To properly assess your application, we need your CV or appropriate certificates. Further information as well as a photo are optional.

Unless you want to be saved in our pool of applicants (see 3.), we will delete your application data 6 months after completing the application process, i.e. after the position has been filled. This data processing is carried out based on Article 6(1)(1)(b) GDPR.

If you are under 18, we require the consent of your guardians to conclude a contract with you. Even saving your application data for a longer period of time (e.g. for a work placement at a later point in time) shall only be carried out with your consent and the consent of your guardians which is noted in the templates.

b) Saving your application in our application pool

If we were not able to consider your application for a specific position, we may like to save your application in our application pool. For this purpose, we require your consent. This enables us to notify you once a position suitable for you becomes available. We will only save your application if you have provided us with the corresponding explicit consent.

2. Applications of apprentices, students with co-op terms and trainees still at school

We will gladly accept your applications as apprentices, students with co-op terms and trainees still in further education. Your application data will always be processed in accordance with the principles as described in here, with the restriction that we will not include you in our application pool. If your application is unsuccessful, we will delete your application documentation at the end of the quarter following the completion of the application process. If you would like to apply again at a later point in time, we look forward to receiving a new application.

V. Your rights as a person affected

As a person affected you are entitled to various rights. Please contact our data protection officer using the above contact details for exercising the rights to which you are entitled. Every affected person is entitled to the following rights:

• Right of access (Article 15 GDPR)

• Right to rectification of incorrect data (Article 16 GDPR)

• Right to erasure (Article 17 GDPR)

• Right to restriction of processing of personal data (Article 18 GDPR)

• Right to data portability (Article 20 GDPR)

• Right to data portability (Article 20 GDPR)

You can object to the processing of personal data for promotional purposes – including the analysis of customer data – or the dissemination to third-parties for promotional purposes at any time without providing a reason. .

Furthermore, every person affected is entitled to a general right to object (see Article 21(1) GDPR). In this case, the objection to data processing must be justified. If the data is processed with your consent, you may revoke this consent at any time with immediate future effect. Revoking your consent does not affect the legality of the data processing that occurred with your consent until the time of revocation.