Data Protection declaration

Welcome to our website. Thank you for your interest in our company. We take the protection of your personal data very seriously.

We process your data in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the relevant national implementing legislation. This Privacy Policy provides comprehensive information about how the Folex Group processes your personal data and explains your rights.

Personal data refers to any information that makes it possible to identify a natural person. This includes, in particular, names, dates of birth, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses and IP addresses.

Data is considered anonymous if it cannot be linked to an identifiable individual.

Locations of the Folex Group:

Folex AG, Bahnhofstrasse 92, 6423 Seewen, Switzerland I Folex Coating GmbH, Unnauer Weg 6c, 50767 Cologne, Germany

Data Controller and Data Protection Officer

Address: Folex Coating GmbH
Unnauer Weg 6c
D-50767 Cologne, Germany

Contact information: www.folex.com, www.folex.de
Tel. +49 (0)221 9794 790
Fax +49 (0)221 9794 799
info@folex.de

Contact details of the Data Protection Officer: datenschutz@folex.de

Your Rights as a Data Subject

We would first like to inform you of your rights as a data subject under Articles 15–22 GDPR. These include:

Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR)
Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR)
Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR)
Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
Right to object to processing (Art. 21 GDPR)

To exercise these rights, please contact datenschutz@folex.de. The same applies if you have questions about the processing of your personal data or wish to withdraw consent you have previously given.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority.

Right to Object

Please note the following regarding your right to object.

If we process your personal data for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object to such processing at any time without providing reasons. This also applies to profiling insofar as it is related to direct marketing.

If you object to processing for direct marketing purposes, we will no longer process your personal data for these purposes.

Objections are free of charge and may be submitted without any formal requirements, preferably by email to service@folex.de.

Where we process your personal data on the basis of legitimate interests, you may object to such processing at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation. This also applies to profiling based on these provisions.

We will then cease processing your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for processing that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or unless processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Purposes and Legal Bases of Data Processing

When processing your personal data, we comply with the GDPR and all other applicable data protection regulations. The legal bases for processing are set out in particular in Article 6 GDPR.

We use your data for initiating business relationships, fulfilling contractual and legal obligations, performing contractual relationships (purchase agreements), offering products and services, maintaining customer relationships (satisfaction surveys and evaluations), establishing an applicant pool, and conducting direct marketing and other marketing activities, including personalisation and selection of offers.

Your consent may also constitute a legal basis for processing personal data.

Before obtaining your consent, we will inform you about the purpose of processing and your right to withdraw consent.

If consent relates to the processing of special categories of personal data, we will expressly inform you accordingly.

Otherwise, special categories of personal data within the meaning of Article 9 GDPR will only be processed where required by law.

Disclosure to Third Parties

We disclose your personal data to third parties only within the limits permitted by law or where you have given your consent.

Otherwise, your data will not be disclosed unless we are required to do so by mandatory legal provisions, for example to supervisory authorities or law enforcement agencies.

Recipients of Data / Categories of Recipients

Within our company, we ensure that personal data is accessible only to employees who require it to fulfil contractual and legal obligations.

This may involve different locations within the Folex Group.

In certain cases, external service providers support our departments in performing their duties. The necessary data protection agreements have been concluded with all such service providers.

Transfers to Third Countries

Personal data is transferred to countries outside the European Union or European Economic Area only where necessary for the performance of a contractual relationship, required by law or authorised by your consent.

We transfer personal data to service providers or Group companies outside the European Economic Area, specifically to Switzerland.

An adequate level of data protection is ensured by the European Commission's adequacy decision concerning Switzerland.

Data Retention Period

We retain personal data for as long as necessary for the respective processing purpose.

Please note that various statutory retention periods may require us to continue storing data. This applies in particular to retention obligations under commercial and tax law, such as the German Commercial Code and Fiscal Code.

Unless further retention obligations apply, data will routinely be deleted once the purpose of processing has been fulfilled.

We may also retain data where you have given us permission to do so or where legal disputes arise and evidence is required within applicable statutory limitation periods.

These periods may extend up to thirty years. The standard limitation period is three years.

Secure Transmission of Your Data

To protect the data stored by us against accidental or intentional manipulation, loss, destruction or unauthorised access, we implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures.

Security levels are continuously reviewed in cooperation with security specialists and adapted to new security standards.

Data exchanged with our website is transmitted in encrypted form.

Our website uses HTTPS with current encryption protocols.

You may also use alternative communication channels, such as postal mail.

Obligation to Provide Data

Certain personal data is necessary for establishing, performing and terminating contractual relationships and fulfilling the associated contractual and legal obligations.

The same applies to using our website and its various functions.

Further details are provided in the sections above.

In certain cases, data must also be collected or provided to comply with statutory requirements.

Please note that without the necessary data, we may be unable to process your enquiry or perform the underlying contractual relationship.

Categories, Sources and Origin of Data

The data we process depends on the relevant context.

For example, different information is required depending on whether you place an online order, submit an enquiry through our contact form, send us a job application or make a complaint.

For specific processing situations, we may provide additional information separately at an appropriate point, for example when uploading application documents or submitting a contact enquiry.

When Visiting Our Website

We collect and process the following data:

Name of your internet service provider
Information about the website from which you access our website
Web browser and operating system used
IP address assigned by your internet service provider
Requested files, volume of data transferred, downloads and data exports
Information about pages accessed on our website, including date and time
HTTP authentication username

For technical security reasons, particularly to prevent attacks on our web server, this data is stored on the basis of Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.

After no more than seven days, the data is anonymised by shortening the IP address so that it can no longer be linked to an individual user.

When Submitting a Contact Enquiry

We collect and process:

First and last name
Email address
Form of address
Information about requests and interests entered in the message field
Postal address, voluntarily provided for sample requests
Telephone number, voluntarily provided for a callback

When Applying for a Job Online

We collect and process:

First and last name
Address
Contact details
Qualification details, including CV, cover letter and certificates
Where applicable, photograph, work permit, residence permit and date of birth

We may also use information lawfully obtained from publicly accessible directories, such as professional networks.

When Subscribing to Newsletters

We collect and process:

First and last name
Email address
Form of address
Language (German or English)
Area of interest
Address voluntarily provided for postal information

Newsletter (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR)

You can subscribe to a free newsletter on our website.

The email address and name provided during registration are used to send you a personalised newsletter.

We observe the principles of data minimisation and data avoidance. Only your email address, name, form of address and language are marked as mandatory fields.

For technical reasons and legal documentation, your IP address is also processed when you subscribe.

You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe function included in the newsletter and thereby withdraw your consent.

Alternatively, you can unsubscribe by emailing service@folex.de.

Marketing to Existing Customers (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)

The Folex Group has an interest in maintaining customer relationships and providing information and offers concerning its products and services.

This includes new product announcements, product changes, event invitations, customer satisfaction surveys, company news and free product samples.

For these purposes, we process your personal data to send relevant information and offers by email or post.

If you do not wish to receive such communications, you may object to the use of your personal data for direct marketing at any time. This also applies to related profiling.

Once you object, we will no longer process your data for these purposes.

You may object free of charge, without giving reasons or complying with formal requirements, preferably by email to service@folex.de, by telephone on +49 (0)221 979479-0, or by post to Folex Coating GmbH, Unnauer Weg 6c, 50767 Cologne, Germany.

Automated Individual Decision-Making

We do not use exclusively automated processing procedures to make decisions.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to make our services more user-friendly, effective and secure.

Cookies are small text files stored on your device and saved locally by your browser. They contain only pseudonymous data.

Some cookies remain stored for the duration of a browser session (session cookies), while others are stored for longer periods (persistent cookies, such as consent settings).

Persistent cookies are automatically deleted after the specified period, usually six months.

In addition to our own cookies, third-party cookies may be used. Third parties may use the information stored in cookies to display content or record the pages you visit.

On the basis of our legitimate interests under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, we use technically necessary cookies required to operate the website and ensure its functionality.

We also use cookies without consent where their sole purpose is to store or access information on a device for transmitting communications, or where they are strictly necessary to provide a service expressly requested by the user, in accordance with Section 25(2) of the German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG).

The cookie "Cookie-Consent" is used for the cookie banner.

The cookie "Resolution" stores information about screen resolution.

Technically Necessary Cookies

Cookie	Purpose / Function	Storage Period
Cookie Consent	Stores whether the user has acknowledged the cookie notice	Until the end of the session
Resolution	Stores the current screen size to improve loading speed	Until the end of the session
PHPSESSID	User recognition	Until the end of the session

No other cookies are set on the Folex website.

Edit Cookie Settings

Subject to your consent, additional cookies may be used to enable us or third parties to analyse how our services are used.

This allows us to adapt content to user needs.

Cookies may also help us measure the effectiveness of advertisements and adjust their placement according to users' interests.

The legal basis is your explicit consent under Article 6(1)(a) GDPR and Section 25(1) TDDDG.

You can withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future and change your cookie settings through our consent banner.

Please note that changes must be made separately for each device.

If you have accounts with third-party providers and are logged in, your data may be linked to those accounts.

You can prevent such linking by refusing or withdrawing consent to the relevant cookies or by logging out of the third-party accounts beforehand.

Most browsers automatically accept cookies.

You can also manually disable, restrict or delete cookies through your browser settings or appropriate software.

Disabling cookies may limit the functionality of our website.

Adobe Typekit Web Fonts

Our website uses web fonts provided by Adobe Typekit.

When you access a page, your browser loads the required web fonts into its cache.

Your browser establishes a connection to Adobe Typekit servers, allowing Adobe Typekit to become aware that the Folex website has been accessed via your IP address.

Adobe Typekit web fonts are used to provide an attractive website design.

This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.

If your browser does not support web fonts, a standard font installed on your computer will be used.

Further information:

https://typekit.com/

https://www.adobe.com/de/privacy/policies/typekit.html

Links to Social Media

Our website contains links to the social media services YouTube and LinkedIn.

You can identify these links by the respective company logos.

Clicking a link takes you to the Folex Group's presence on the relevant social media platform.

When you click a social media link, a connection is established to the platform provider's servers.

The provider receives information that you have visited our website.

Additional data may also be transmitted, including:

Address of the website containing the activated link
Date and time the website was accessed or the link activated
Information about the browser and operating system used
IP address

If you are already logged in to the relevant social media platform when activating the link, the provider may be able to identify your username or real name and associate this information with your personal account.

You can prevent this association by logging out of your account beforehand.

The servers of social media providers may be located outside the European Union.

Your data may therefore be processed in countries outside the EU.

Please note that data protection legislation in these countries may not provide the same level of protection as legislation in EU Member States.

We have no influence over the scope, nature or purposes of data processing carried out by social media providers.

Further information can be found in the respective providers' privacy policies.

Social Media Presence

The Folex Group maintains a presence on YouTube and LinkedIn.

To the extent that we control the processing of your personal data, we ensure compliance with applicable data protection regulations.

The following provides important information regarding data protection in connection with our social media presence.

Name and Address of the Responsible Parties

In addition to the Folex Group, the following companies are responsible for the respective corporate social media presences within the meaning of the GDPR and other applicable data protection legislation:

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company
Wilton Place
Dublin 2, Ireland

YouTube

Google Ireland Ltd.
Gordon House
Barrow Street
Dublin 4, Ireland

You use these platforms and their functions at your own responsibility.

This applies in particular to interactive features such as commenting, sharing and rating.

Please also note that your data may be processed outside the European Union.

Purpose and Legal Basis

We maintain our social media pages to communicate with visitors and inform them about our products and services.

We also collect statistical information to develop and optimise our content and make our services more attractive.

The relevant data, such as total page views, page activities, information provided by visitors and interactions, is prepared and made available to us by the social media platforms.

We have no influence over how this information is generated or presented.

Social media providers also process personal data for market research and advertising purposes.

Based on your usage behaviour and resulting interests, user profiles may be created.

These profiles may be used to display advertisements within and outside the platforms that correspond to your interests.

Cookies are generally stored on your device for this purpose.

User profiles may also contain data not collected directly from your devices.

Data may be stored and analysed across multiple devices, particularly if you are registered and logged in to the respective platforms.

The Folex Group processes your personal data on the basis of its legitimate interests in effective information and communication under Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.

Where you are asked to consent to data processing, for example by confirming a button or similar opt-in mechanism, the legal basis is Article 6(1)(a) and Article 7 GDPR.

Your Rights and Options to Object

If you are a member of a social network and do not want the network to collect data about you through our presence and link it to your stored membership information, you should:

Log out of the social network before visiting our website
Delete cookies stored on your device
Close and restart your browser

After logging in again, however, the network will be able to recognise you as a specific user.

For detailed information about data processing and available opt-out options, please refer to the following:

LinkedIn

Cookie Policy / Opt-out:
https://www.linkedin.com/legal/cookie-policy
http://www.youronlinechoices.com

YouTube

Opt-out:
https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de
http://www.youronlinechoices.com

You have the following rights regarding the processing of your personal data:

Right of access
Right to rectification
Right to erasure
Right to restriction of processing
Right to object
Right to data portability
Right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection authority regarding unlawful processing

As the Folex Group does not have full access to your personal data held by social media providers, we recommend contacting the respective provider directly when exercising your rights.

These providers have access to their users' personal data and can take appropriate measures and provide information.

If you nevertheless require assistance, we will endeavour to support you.

Please contact Data Protection@folex.de.

Contact Form / Contact by Email (Art. 6(1)(a) and (b) GDPR)

Our website provides a contact form for electronic communication.

If you contact us using this form, we process the information you provide to respond to your enquiry, questions and requests.

We observe the principles of data minimisation and data avoidance by requiring only the information necessary to contact you.

This includes your email address and the message itself.

For technical reasons and legal documentation, your IP address is also processed.

All other fields are voluntary and may be completed optionally, for example to enable us to respond more individually to your enquiry.

We implement appropriate security measures to protect the security and confidentiality of your data.

Your enquiry is transmitted to us in encrypted form.

If you contact us by email, we process the personal data contained in your message solely to handle your enquiry.

If you do not use the contact forms provided, no additional data is collected in connection with those forms.

Online Shop (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR)

We process the information you provide in the order form solely to perform and administer the contractual relationship, unless you consent to further use.

We observe the principles of data minimisation and data avoidance.

We request only the information necessary to perform the contract or fulfil our contractual obligations, including your name, address, email address and payment details required for your selected payment method, or information we are legally required to collect.

Your IP address is also processed for technical reasons and legal documentation.

Without this information, we may be unable to conclude or perform the contract and may have to terminate an existing contractual relationship.

You may voluntarily provide additional information if you wish.

Registration / Customer Account (Art. 6(1)(a) and (b) GDPR)

Our website allows users to register by providing personal data.

Registration enables you, in particular, to view your order history and save your details for future orders.

This means you do not have to enter the same information again when placing another order.

Registration may be necessary or available for the performance of a contract through our online shop or for taking steps prior to entering into a contract.

We observe the principles of data minimisation and data avoidance.

Only the information necessary for registration is marked as mandatory with an asterisk (*).

This includes, for example, your email address, password and password confirmation.

To deliver orders placed through our online shop, we also require billing address details, including form of address, first name, last name and address.

If the delivery address differs from the billing address, the corresponding delivery address details must also be provided.

When you register on our website, your IP address and the date and time of registration are stored as technical background data.

By clicking the "Register now" button, you consent to the processing of your data.

Please note that your password is stored in encrypted form.

Our employees cannot read your password and therefore cannot provide it to you if you forget it.

In this case, please use the "Forgot password" function, which sends you an automatically generated new password by email.

No employee is authorised to request your password by telephone or in writing.

Please never disclose your password if you receive such a request.

Once registration is complete, your data is stored for use in the protected customer area.

When you log in using your email address as your username and your password, the relevant data is made available for activities you perform on our website, such as placing orders.

Completed orders can be viewed in your order history.

You can also update your billing or delivery address.

Registered users may independently change or correct their billing and delivery addresses in their order history.

Our customer service team can also make these changes upon request.

You may cancel your registration or delete your customer account at any time.

Payment Systems (Art. 6(1)(a) and (b) GDPR) and Credit Checks (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)

In our online shop, you can pay in advance or by invoice.

We collect the payment-related data necessary to process your order and payment.

Your IP address is also processed for technical reasons and legal documentation.

We observe the principles of data minimisation and data avoidance by collecting only the information necessary for payment processing and contract performance or required by law.

Without this information, we may be unable to conclude the contract.

Our payment system uses SSL encryption to protect the transmission of your data.

Payment by Invoice

If you select payment by invoice in our online shop, we carry out a credit check.

By selecting this payment option, the data subject consents to the transfer of personal data necessary for payment processing.

Personal data generally includes first name, last name, address, email address, IP address, telephone number, mobile phone number or other information required for payment processing.

Marketing to Existing Customers (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR)

The Folex Group has an interest in maintaining customer relationships and providing information and offers concerning our products and services.

For this purpose, we process your data to send you relevant information and offers by email.

If you do not wish to receive such communications, you may object to the use of your personal data for direct marketing at any time.

This also applies to profiling insofar as it is related to direct marketing.

Once you object, we will no longer process your data for these purposes.

You may object free of charge, without providing reasons or complying with formal requirements.

Please direct your objection to:

Tel. +49 (0)221 9794 790
Email: datenschutz@folex.de

Folex Coating GmbH
Unnauer Weg 6c
50767 Cologne, Germany

Links to Other Providers

Our website contains clearly identifiable links to websites operated by other companies.

We have no influence over the content of external websites and therefore cannot accept responsibility or liability for such content.

The respective provider or operator is responsible for the content of its website.

Linked websites were checked for possible legal violations and identifiable infringements at the time the links were created.

No unlawful content was apparent at that time.

However, continuous monitoring of external websites is not reasonable without specific indications of a legal violation.

If we become aware of any legal infringements, the relevant links will be removed immediately.

Online Services for Children

Persons under the age of 16 may not submit personal data to us or provide consent without the approval of a parent or legal guardian.

We encourage parents and legal guardians to take an active interest in their children's online activities and interests.

Accessibility

We want our digital services to be accessible to everyone.

We continuously work to remove barriers and improve usability.

Our Approach

When designing our website, we follow established web accessibility standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

In practical terms, this includes paying attention to a clear structure, sufficient contrast and other accessibility-related design aspects.

Your Feedback Helps Us

If you encounter accessibility barriers or need assistance using our website, please send a brief message to:

service@folex.de

We will review your request and respond as quickly as possible.