Privacy policy

We take data protection very seriously. Your personal data will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, BDSG) and other relevant data protection regulations.

Privacy information

Below, we inform you of how we process your data and what rights you will have if you visit our websites and use our online services there.

1. Controller, bases, purpose

1.1. Controller

The controller within the meaning of the data protection laws and the supplier within the meaning of the German Digital Services Act (DDG) is:

vhf camfacture AG
Lettenstraße 10
72119 Ammerbuch
Phone: +49 7032 97097 000

info@vhf.de

1.2. Processing purposes and legal basis

a) Logs

All access to our website and every request for a file that is available on the website will be logged. This logging is for internal system-related and statistical purposes. In this respect, the following data will be transmitted to us from your browser: Browser type and version, operating system in use, the referring URL (the previously visited site), the host name of the accessing computer (IP address) and the date and time of the server request. These data will not be assigned to specific persons. These data will not be merged with other sources of data.

The bases for the processing are Art. 6(1), sentence 1, letter (f) of the GDPR and § 15 of the German Digital Services Act (DDG).

b) Form-based data collection

In cases where it is possible to enter data via our website, e.g. for a quotation request, when registering for a newsletter or using a contact form, certain entry fields are marked as “required information”. We use these fields to collect only the data that is necessary for us to perform the contract or carry out the requested action. If you wish, you are obviously at liberty to provide us with additional data on a voluntary basis.

Your personal data will be used and stored in order to perform the contract that we have concluded with you, or to carry out actions that you have requested (e.g. to prepare a quote, or respond to a contact inquiry) and for advertising purposes (in this respect, please also read item c). As soon as the personal data are no longer required to achieve the intended purpose, they will be deleted. If any statutory retention obligations apply, the data will be held inaccessibly until expiry of the retention obligations and subsequently deleted.

The bases for processing the personal data are Art. 6(1), sentence 1, letters (a), (b) and (f) of the GDPR.

c) Advertising measures; including the email newsletter

You can, at any time, object to the use of your personal data, or withdraw your consent for this if you have given it to us – with future effect in each case – in writing, by fax, email or telephone.
This applies in particular to our email newsletter, which contains, for example, information about our products and services. We will send you our email newsletter only if you have given your consent to the use of your data for this purpose. You can unsubscribe from an email newsletter at any time, with future effect, either by clicking the link that is provided for this purpose in each email newsletter, or by contacting us using the contact data provided.

The bases for processing the personal data are Art. 6(1), sentence 1, letters (a) and (f) of the GDPR.

d) Partner login

Access to a protected area of the website containing, by way of example, information that is relevant for specialist traders can be granted to existing business partners upon request. The access data are not generally individual but group based and are given out only by us. The users themselves cannot register individually; users may not pass on data received from us.

The bases for the processing are Art. 6(1), sentence 1, letter (b) of the GDPR.

e) vhf shop customer account

Registration or log-in is required to place orders or for a customized presentation (e.g. to show agreed discount rates or display additional product groups).

You can register for a free, password-protected customer account via our website. You can use this account to view your completed orders and orders in progress, and to manage your personal data.

During the registration process, your first and last name and your email address will be collected as required information. You will be able to amend these data at any time. Your consent to data processing which you give when you register can be withdrawn at any time, with future effect, by deleting your account.

The basis for processing is Art. 6(1), sentence 1, letter (a) of the GDPR.

f) Online applications

Online applications can be submitted via the vhf website. We will store personal data that you voluntarily enter into the online form during the application process; this includes, in particular, your first and last names, address, email address, date of birth, place of birth, profession, resumé, and certificates. Additional data that are relevant to your application may be collected during the application process. These will also be stored.

Your personal data will be processed only for the purposes of handling the application process, unless you have expressly agreed to their use for another purpose.

If your application is unsuccessful, your personal data will be anonymized in compliance with the data protection regulations upon completion of the application process. Once the data has been anonymized, it will no longer be possible to draw a conclusion about the relevant person. We use anonymized data for statistical purposes only. Statistical analyses constitute a legitimate interest with respect to monitoring efficiency and optimizing the system.

Additional storage and use of your data will take place only if you have expressly stated that you wish to remain stored in our database even after completion of the specific application process so that you can potentially be contacted by us at a later date with respect to new projects/positions. If you no longer wish to receive such information, you can, at any time and with future effect, object to this use of your personal data, or withdraw your consent for their use, by letter, email or telephone.

The basis for the data processing is s. 26(1), sentence 1 of the German Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz, BDSG) and Art. 6(1), sentence 1, letters (a) and (f) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

If you name a third party as a reference in your application, you are responsible for ensuring that said third party agrees to his/her personal data being passed to vhf camfacture AG.

g) Use of cookies

We use cookies on various pages to enable you to navigate the website and use its functions, e.g. if accessing password-protected areas. Without these cookies, we will be unable to provide you with certain requested services (Art. 6(1), sentence 1, letter (b) of the GDPR).

If you have given your consent to this, we will, in accordance with Art. 6 (1), sentence 1, letter (a) of the GDPR, also use cookies for the purposes of tracking, to improve the website’s functionality and service, and to generate statistics to show how our website is used and how effective our advertising campaigns are. Cookies also enable data entered previously during a visit to be remembered (e.g. user name, language) in order to offer customized services to the user. In addition, we use cookies to enable us to design our website according to demands; to this end, pseudonymized user profiles, which enable your use of the website to be analyzed, may be generated. Furthermore, we can also use cookies with advanced tracking and targeting functions. These cookies are used primarily to generate advertising that is even more specific to you and your interests and it may even be possible to keep track of users on other sites. With targeting cookies, so-called advertising networks can also, for example, detect how often a user has visited our site and this information may be passed to other advertising companies.

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer. Most of the cookies we use will be deleted again from your hard drive at the end of your browser session (session cookies). Other cookies remain on your computer and enable us to recognize your computer on your next visit (persistent cookies). Obviously, you also have the option to view our website without cookies. Most browsers will accept cookies automatically.

In addition, we also use the following third-party cookies:

  • Google Analytics
  • YouTube Analytics

You can adjust your browser settings so that you will be informed about the placement of cookies; this will make the use of cookies transparent for you.

If you have given us your consent, you can withdraw this at any time, or you can object to the data processing. The easiest way to do this is to prevent cookies from being saved on your hard disk by selecting “Do not accept any cookies” in your browser settings. However, if you do so, you may not be able to use all of the functions on our website to their full extent.

2. Disclosure of data to third parties

We will pass on your personal data within our company to the departments that require the data to comply with the contractual and statutory obligations or to pursue our legitimate interest. Further disclosure of your personal data, including your home address and email address, to third parties will be made only to the extent that this is essential for the purposes of contract performance, if you have expressly agreed to the disclosure, or if such disclosure is permitted under data protection law. However, in each case, only the essential data will be transferred.

If necessary for the purposes of delivering ordered goods, your address data will be passed to transport and logistics companies.

For payments made by “direct debit”, we will pass your data that are necessary for processing the payments to the payment provider you have selected.

Customers who hold a customer account with PayPal can effect the payment via “PayPal” or the “Express Purchase with PayPal Button”. PayPal is part of the company PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg. By clicking on this button you will be taken directly to the PayPal website. In doing so, data will be transmitted to PayPal; in particular, PayPal will be informed that you have visited our website, with your IP address. We do not have any influence on how PayPal processes data. This will in fact depend on the terms and conditions that have been agreed between you and PayPal. PayPal will be solely responsible for the protection and handling of the data it collects. For further information on how PayPal handles data, please refer to PayPal’s privacy notice, available at: https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-prev.

Processing of order payments by credit card or Paypal is carried out via an external service provider. In this respect, ConCardis GmbH, Helfmann-Park 7, 65760 Eschborn, is currently commissioned. To effect the payment, you will be directed to the provider’s website. Upon completion of the payment process, you will be returned to the vhf site. ConCardis GmbH will store and process your data in accordance with their privacy policy. vhf camfacture AG will not have any access to your payment data, containing credit card details, account numbers, etc., which is stored by ConCardis GmbH.

In the following cases, our data processing will be carried out by a service provider who is bound by instructions, is obliged to comply with the data protection regulations, and is not authorized to use the data for other purposes:

  • Lettershops
  • Reference management
  • Service provider for checking data against European and international anti-terror lists

3. Your data protection rights

Subject to certain conditions, you have the right to request to be informed, free of charge, about the personal data we have stored about you, to have incorrect data rectified, and to erasure or restriction of processing and to portability of your personal data. You can object to the use of the data at any time with future effect. In some cases, however, we may not be permitted to completely delete user data owing to statutory retention obligations. We would also like to inform you of your right to lodge a complaint with the Baden-Württemberg State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg).

If you have any queries concerning the processing of personal data, please contact our data protection officer:

Address: Lettenstraße 10, 72119 Ammerbuch
Phone: +49 7032 97097 000
Email: data-protection@vhf.de

4. Privacy notices for third-party services

Based on our legitimate interests (i.e. an interest in the analysis, optimization, and economic operation of our online service within the meaning of point [f] of Article 6 [1] GDPR), we include the content and service offerings of third-party providers within our online service in order to incorporate their content and services, such as videos or fonts (hereinafter jointly referred to as “Content”).

This is always subject to the third-party providers of this Content being aware of a user’s IP address, as they are unable to send Content to a user’s browser without an IP address. The user’s IP address is therefore required in order for the Content to be shown. We endeavor to only use Content the providers of which use IP addresses solely for the delivery of the Content. Third-party providers may additionally use so-called pixel tags (invisible graphics otherwise known as “Web beacons”) for statistical or marketing purposes. Pixel tags allow information such as visitor traffic on webpages to be evaluated. This pseudonymized information can also be stored on the user’s device in the form of cookies and can include details such as technical information regarding the browser and operating system, the referrer URLs, the visit time, and other information regarding the use of our online service, and may also be combined with corresponding information from other sources.

4.1 Google Analytics

This website uses functions of the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider of this service is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. Google Analytics enables the website operator to analyze the behavior patterns of website visitors. To that end, the website operator receives a variety of user data, such as pages accessed, time spent on the page, the utilized operating system and the user’s origin. This data is assigned to the respective end device of the user. An assignment to a user-ID does not take place. Furthermore, Google Analytics allows us to record your mouse and scroll movements and clicks, among other things. Google Analytics uses various modeling approaches to augment the collected data sets and uses machine learning technologies in data analysis.

Google Analytics uses technologies that make the recognition of the user for the purpose of analyzing the user behavior patterns (e.g., cookies or device fingerprinting). The website use information recorded by Google is, as a rule transferred to a Google server in the United States, where it is stored.

The use of these services occurs on the basis of your consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG. You may revoke your consent at any time. Data transmission to the US is based on the Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) of the European Commission. Details can be found here: https://business.safety.google/adscontrollerterms/sccs/.

IP anonymization

On this website, we have activated the IP anonymization function. As a result, your IP address will be abbreviated by Google within the member states of the European Union or in other states that have ratified the Convention on the European Economic Area prior to its transmission to the United States. The full IP address will be transmitted to one of Google’s servers in the United States and abbreviated there only in exceptional cases. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google shall use this information to analyze your use of this website to generate reports on website activities and to render other services to the operator of this website that are related to the use of the website and the Internet. The IP address transmitted in conjunction with Google Analytics from your browser shall not be merged with other data in Google’s possession.

Browser Plugin

You can prevent the recording and processing of your data by Google by downloading and installing the browser plugin available under the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en. For more information about the handling of user data by Google Analytics, please consult Google’s Data Privacy Declaration at: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.

Objecting to data collection

In the case of browsers on mobile devices, you can prevent Google Analytics from collecting your data by clicking on the following link Link. An opt-out cookie will be generated that prevents your data from being collected during future visits to this website: In this respect, please note that this opt-out cookie will function only in this browser and only for this domain. If you delete your cookies in this browser, you will need to click on the link again.

Additional information

Further information on how Google Analytics handles user data can be found in Google’s privacy notice, available at:

Order Data Processing

We have concluded a contract for order data processing with Google and are fully implementing the strict specifications issued by the German data protection authorities in connection with use of Google Analytics.

Google Analytics Remarketing

Our websites make use of Google Analytics Remarketing functions in connection with the device-independent functions of Google AdWords and Google DoubleClick. The provider is Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.

With these functions, the advertising target groups that Google Analytics Remarketing generates can be linked with the device-independent functions of Google AdWords and Google DoubleClick. In this way, personalized advertising messages that relate to your interests, which have been adapted to you on the basis of your previous usage and surfing behavior (e.g. mobile phone) can also be displayed on another one of your end devices (e.g. tablet or PC).

If you have given appropriate consent, Google will link your web and app browser history to your Google account. In this way, the same personalized advertising messages can be displayed to you on every end device that you use to log in to your Google account.

To support this function, Google Analytics collects Google-authenticated user IDs, which are temporarily linked with our Google Analytics data, in order to define and generate target groups for the device-independent advertisements.

You can prevent the device-independent remarketing/targeting at any time by deactivating personalized advertising in your Google account; for further details, click on the following link: https://www.google.com/settings/ads/onweb/.

The collected data will be integrated in your Google account only on the basis of your consent, which you can give to or withdraw from Google at any time (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). The basis for data collection processes that are not linked with your Google account (e.g. because you do not have a Google account or you have turned off linking), is Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. There is a legitimate interest because the website operator has an interest in conducting anonymized analyses of website visitors for advertising purposes.

Further information and the data protection terms can be found in Google’s privacy notice, available at: https://www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads/.

4.2 Plugins and tools

Google Fonts

We incorporate fonts (“Google Fonts”) provided by the service provider Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. Google states that user data is used solely for the purposes of presenting the fonts in a user’s browser. The fonts are incorporated on the basis of our legitimate interests in the technically secure, maintenance-free, and efficient use of fonts, their uniform presentation, and consideration of any licensing rights restrictions regarding their incorporation. Privacy policy: www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

Google Maps

We incorporate maps from the Google Maps service provided by the service provider Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. The data processed can, in particular, include users’ IP addresses and location data. However, such data will not be collected without the users’ consent (generally granted under the settings of their mobile devices). The data can be processed in the USA. Privacy policy: www.google.com/policies/privacy/, opt-out: adssettings.google.com/authenticated.

Google reCAPTCHA

We use „Google reCAPTCHA“ (hereinafter referred to as „reCAPTCHA“) on this website. The provider is Google Ireland Limited („Google“), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

The purpose of reCAPTCHA is to determine whether data entered on this website (e.g. information entered into a contact form) is being provided by a human user or by an automated program. To determine this, reCAPTCHA analyses the behaviour of the website visitors based on a variety of parameters. This analysis is triggered automatically as soon as the website visitor enters the site. For this analysis, reCAPTCHA evaluates a variety of data (e.g. IP address, time the website visitor spent on the site or cursor movements initiated by the user). The data tracked during such analyses are forwarded to Google.

reCAPTCHA analyses run entirely in the background. Website visitors are not alerted that an analysis is underway.
The data is processed on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR. It is in the website operators legitimate interest, to protect the operator’s web content against misuse by automated industrial espionage systems and against SPAM.

For more information about Google reCAPTCHA please refer to the Google Data Privacy Declaration and Terms Of Use under the following links: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en and https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en.

Vimeo

We can incorporate videos provided on the platform Vimeo by the service provider Vimeo Inc., Attention: Legal Department, 555 West 18th Street, New York 10011, USA. Privacy policy: vimeo.com/privacy. Please note that Vimeo may make use of Google Analytics. We therefore refer you to the Google Analytics privacy policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy) and opt-out options (http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de) or Google’s settings for data usage for marketing purposes (https://adssettings.google.com/).

YouTube

We have embedded videos from the Google-operated site YouTube (YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA) into the “enhanced data protection mode” on our website. Launching the respective video will mean that your IP address will be passed to the YouTube server. YouTube will thus be informed that our internet site has been visited with your IP address. If you are also logged into YouTube on the browser that you use for this site, the account identifier will also be passed on. Hence, YouTube can assign your visit to this website to your user account. We will not be informed about the data that is collected in this way, or of how it is used.

YouTube is used in the interests of providing an attractive presentation of our online services. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.

Further information about how user data is handled can be found in YouTube’s privacy notice, available at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en&gl=en.

Sendinblue

This website uses Sendinblue to send newsletters. The provider is Sendinblue GmbH, Köpenicker Strasse 126, 10179 Berlin, Germany. Sendinblue is a service that can be used, among other things, to organise and analyse the sending of newsletters. The data you enter to subscribe to the newsletter is stored on Sendinblue’s servers in Germany.

Data analysis by Sendinblue
Sendinblue enables us to analyse our newsletter campaigns. For example, we can see whether a newsletter message has been opened and which links have been clicked on. In this way we can determine which links have been clicked on particularly often.
We can also see whether certain previously defined actions have been carried out after opening/clicking (conversion rate). For example, we can see whether you have made a purchase after clicking on the newsletter.
Sendinblue also allows us to cluster newsletter recipients into different categories. This allows us to classify newsletter recipients according to age, gender or place of residence, for example. This makes it easier to tailor the newsletter to the relevant target groups.
If you don’t want Sendinblue to analyse you, you must unsubscribe from the newsletter. We provide a link to this in every newsletter message. You can also unsubscribe directly on the website.
For full details of Sendinblue’s features, please refer to the following link: https://de.sendinblue.com/newsletter-software/.

Storage duration
The data you provide us with for the purpose of subscribing to the newsletter will be stored by us or the newsletter service provider until you unsubscribe from the newsletter and deleted from the newsletter distribution list after you have cancelled your subscription. Data stored by us for other purposes remain unaffected by this.
After you have been removed from the newsletter distribution list, your e-mail address may be stored in a blacklist by us or the newsletter service provider to prevent future mailings. The data from the blacklist will only be used for this purpose and will not be merged with other data. This serves both your interest and our interest in compliance with the legal requirements when sending newsletters (legitimate interest in the sense of Art. 6 subsection 1 sentence 1 lit. f GDPR). The storage in the blacklist is not limited in time. You can object to the storage if your interests outweigh our legitimate interest.
For further details please refer to Sendinblue’s Privacy Policy at: https://de.sendinblue.com/datenschutz-uebersicht/.

Conclusion of a contract for processing orders
We have entered into an agreement with Sendinblue in which we commit Sendinblue to protect our customers’ information and not to pass it on to third parties.

4.3 Online presence within social media

We maintain an online presence within social networks and platforms in order to communicate with customers, interested parties, and users who are active within them and to notify them there of our services.

Please note that this may involve users’ data being processed outside of the European Union. This can result in risks for the users as it can, for example, serve as an obstacle to enforcement of users’ rights. It should be noted that U.S. providers with Privacy Shield certification are obligated to comply with EU data protection standards.

User data is generally also processed for market research and marketing purposes. For example, user behavior and the users’ interests identified on the basis of this can be used to create usage profiles. In turn, these usage profiles can be used to, for example, place advertisements within and outside of the platforms that seemingly match the users’ interests. To this end, cookies are generally stored on the users’ computers, logging their Internet usage and interests. The usage profiles can additionally contain data logged independently of the devices used by the users (in particular if the users are members of the platforms in question and are logged into said platforms).

Users’ personal data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interests in effectively informing and communicating with the users pursuant to point (f) of Article 6 (1) GDPR. In the event that users are asked by the providers of the platforms in question to give their consent to the aforementioned data processing, the legal basis for this processing is point (a) of Article 6 (1) and Article 7 GDPR.

For details of the various degrees of processing and your opt-out options, please refer to the information provided by the service providers in the links below.

Please also note that regarding requests for information and the assertion of users’ rights, these are most effective if addressed directly to the service providers. Only the providers have access to the users’ data and can directly take the appropriate action or provide the required information. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you nonetheless need our assistance.