Privacy policy

1. Data controller pursuant to Art. 4(7) GDPR

August Bertrams GmbH
Eiler Straße 3 X1
51107 Köln
E-mail: info@bertrams.org

2. Security and protection of your personal data

We regard it as our primary duty to preserve the confidentiality of the personal data you provide and to protect it against unauthorised access. We therefore apply the utmost care and state-of-the-art security standards to ensure maximum protection of your personal data.

As a private-sector company, we are subject to the provisions of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the rules of the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). We have implemented technical and organisational measures that ensure the data protection rules are observed both by us and by our external service providers.

3. Definitions

The legislator requires that personal data be processed lawfully, fairly and in a manner that is comprehensible to the data subject (“lawfulness, fairness and transparency”). To ensure this, we inform you about the individual legal definitions that are also used in this privacy policy:

1. Personal data
“Personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (hereinafter “data subject”); an identifiable natural person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or to one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person.

2. Processing
“Processing” means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction.

3. Restriction of processing
“Restriction of processing” means the marking of stored personal data with the aim of limiting their processing in the future.

4. Profiling
“Profiling” means any form of automated processing of personal data consisting of the use of personal data to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to a natural person, in particular to analyse or predict aspects concerning that natural person’s performance at work, economic situation, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behaviour, location or movements.

5. Pseudonymisation
“Pseudonymisation” means the processing of personal data in such a manner that the personal data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information, provided that such additional information is kept separately and is subject to technical and organisational measures to ensure that the personal data are not attributed to an identified or identifiable natural person.

6. Filing system
“Filing system” means any structured set of personal data which are accessible according to specific criteria, whether centralised, decentralised or dispersed on a functional or geographical basis.

7. Controller
“Controller” means the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data; where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law.

8. Processor
“Processor” means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller.

9. Recipient
“Recipient” means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body, to which the personal data are disclosed, whether a third party or not. However, public authorities which may receive personal data in the framework of a particular inquiry in accordance with Union or Member State law shall not be regarded as recipients; the processing of those data by those public authorities shall be in compliance with the applicable data protection rules according to the purposes of the processing.

10. Third party
“Third party” means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or body other than the data subject, controller, processor and persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or processor, are authorised to process the personal data.

11. Consent
“Consent” of the data subject means any freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous indication of the data subject’s wishes by which he or she, by a statement or by a clear affirmative action, signifies agreement to the processing of personal data relating to him or her.

4. Lawfulness of processing

The processing of personal data is only lawful if a legal basis exists for the processing. Pursuant to Article 6(1)(a)–(f) GDPR, the legal basis for processing may in particular be:

a. the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes;

b. processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract;

c. processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject;

d. processing is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person;

e. processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;

f. processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject which require protection of personal data, in particular where the data subject is a child.

5. Collection of personal data via the quote request page

When you contact us via the quote request page, we process the data you provide (company, name, e-mail address, optionally telephone number and your details about the component) solely to handle and respond to your request. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (pre-contractual measure).

6. Collection of personal data when visiting our website

When the website is used purely for informational purposes, i.e. if you do not register or otherwise provide us with information, we only collect the personal data that your browser transmits to our server. If you wish to view our website, we collect the following data, which is technically necessary for us to display our website to you and to ensure stability and security (the legal basis is Art. 6(1) sentence 1(f) GDPR):

  • IP address
  • date and time of the request
  • time zone difference to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
  • content of the request (specific page)
  • access status/HTTP status code
  • amount of data transferred in each case
  • website from which the request originates
  • browser
  • operating system and its interface
  • language and version of the browser software.

7. Use of cookies

(1) In addition to the aforementioned data, cookies are stored on your computer when you use our website. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your hard drive and assigned to the browser you use, and through which certain information flows to the entity that sets the cookie. Cookies cannot run programs or transmit viruses to your computer. They serve to make the internet offering as a whole more user-friendly and effective.

(2) This website uses the following types of cookies, whose scope and functioning are explained below:

• Transient cookies (see a.)
• Persistent cookies (see b.).

a. Transient cookies are automatically deleted when you close your browser. These include, in particular, session cookies. These store a so-called session ID, with which various requests from your browser can be assigned to the shared session. This allows your computer to be recognised when you return to our website. The session cookies are deleted when you log out or close your browser.

b. Persistent cookies are automatically deleted after a specified period, which may differ depending on the cookie. You can delete the cookies at any time in the security settings of your browser.

c. You can configure your browser settings according to your wishes and, for example, refuse to accept third-party cookies or all cookies. So-called “third-party cookies” are cookies that have been set by a third party, and therefore not by the actual website on which you are currently located. We point out that by deactivating cookies you may not be able to use all functions of this website.

d. We use cookies to be able to identify you for subsequent visits if you have an account with us. Otherwise, you would have to log in again for each visit.

e. The Flash cookies used are not captured by your browser, but by your Flash plug-in. Furthermore, we use HTML5 storage objects that are stored on your device. These objects store the required data independently of the browser you use and have no automatic expiry date. If you do not wish the Flash cookies to be processed, you must install an appropriate add-on, e.g. “Better Privacy” for Mozilla Firefox (https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/betterprivacy/) or the Adobe Flash Killer Cookie for Google Chrome. You can prevent the use of HTML5 storage objects by using private mode in your browser. In addition, we recommend that you regularly delete your cookies and your browser history manually.

8. Integration of Google Maps

On our contact and location pages we embed maps from the "Google Maps" service. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland ("Google"). When you open a page containing an embedded map, a connection to Google's servers is established and your IP address is transmitted to Google; this transfer may also be made to servers in the USA. We have no influence over any further processing by Google. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in making our locations easy to find (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). For more information, please see Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy.

9. Integration of YouTube videos

On individual pages (including News and About us) we embed videos from the "YouTube" platform. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland ("Google"). We use YouTube in extended data protection mode (embedding via youtube-nocookie.com). According to YouTube, no cookies for analysing user behaviour are set before you start a video. However, when you open a page with an embedded video, a connection to Google/YouTube servers is established and your IP address is transmitted; once you start a video at the latest, further data may be processed and cookies may be set. This transfer may also be made to servers in the USA. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in an appealing presentation of our services (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). For more information, please see Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy.

10. Rights of the data subject

You have the right to obtain confirmation from the controller as to whether we process personal data concerning you. You can request this confirmation at any time using the contact details provided above.

(3) Right of access
If personal data are processed, you can at any time request information about these personal data and about the following information:

a. the purposes of the processing;
b. the categories of personal data being processed;
c. the recipients or categories of recipients to whom the personal data have been or will be disclosed, in particular recipients in third countries or international organisations;
d. where possible, the envisaged period for which the personal data will be stored, or, if this is not possible, the criteria used to determine that period;
e. the existence of a right to request rectification or erasure of the personal data concerning you or restriction of processing by the controller or a right to object to such processing;
f. the existence of a right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority;
g. where the personal data are not collected from the data subject, any available information as to their source;
h. the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, referred to in Article 22(1) and (4) GDPR and, at least in those cases, meaningful information about the logic involved, as well as the significance and the envisaged consequences of such processing for the data subject.

Where personal data are transferred to a third country or to an international organisation, you have the right to be informed of the appropriate safeguards pursuant to Article 46 GDPR relating to the transfer. We provide a copy of the personal data undergoing processing. For any further copies you request, we may charge a reasonable fee based on administrative costs. If you make the request electronically, the information shall be provided in a commonly used electronic format, unless you indicate otherwise. The right to obtain a copy referred to in paragraph 3 shall not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others.

(4) Right to rectification
You have the right to obtain from us, without undue delay, the rectification of inaccurate personal data concerning you. Taking into account the purposes of the processing, you have the right to have incomplete personal data completed, including by means of providing a supplementary statement.

(5) Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”)
You have the right to obtain from the controller the erasure of personal data concerning you without undue delay, and we are obliged to erase personal data without undue delay where one of the following grounds applies:

a. the personal data are no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed.
b. the data subject withdraws consent on which the processing is based according to Article 6(1)(a) or Article 9(2)(a) GDPR, and where there is no other legal ground for the processing.
c. the data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21(1) GDPR and there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing, or the data subject objects to the processing pursuant to Article 21(2) GDPR.
d. the personal data have been unlawfully processed.
e. the personal data have to be erased for compliance with a legal obligation under Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject.
f. the personal data have been collected in relation to the offer of information society services referred to in Article 8(1) GDPR.

Where the controller has made the personal data public and is obliged pursuant to paragraph 1 to erase them, the controller, taking account of available technology and the cost of implementation, shall take reasonable steps, including technical measures, to inform controllers which are processing the personal data that the data subject has requested the erasure by such controllers of any links to, or copy or replication of, those personal data.

The right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) shall not apply to the extent that processing is necessary:

• for exercising the right of freedom of expression and information;

• for compliance with a legal obligation which requires processing by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject or for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;

• for reasons of public interest in the area of public health in accordance with Article 9(2)(h) and (i) as well as Article 9(3) GDPR;

• for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1) GDPR, in so far as the right referred to in paragraph 1 is likely to render impossible or seriously impair the achievement of the objectives of that processing, or

• for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

(6) Right to restriction of processing
You have the right to obtain from us restriction of processing of your personal data where one of the following applies:

a. the accuracy of the personal data is contested by the data subject, for a period enabling the controller to verify the accuracy of the personal data,

b. the processing is unlawful and the data subject opposes the erasure of the personal data and requests the restriction of their use instead;

c. the controller no longer needs the personal data for the purposes of the processing, but they are required by the data subject for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or

d. the data subject has objected to processing pursuant to Article 21(1) GDPR pending the verification whether the legitimate grounds of the controller override those of the data subject.

Where processing has been restricted under the conditions set out above, such personal data shall, with the exception of storage, only be processed with the data subject’s consent or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest of the Union or of a Member State.

To exercise the right to restriction of processing, the data subject can contact us at any time using the contact details provided above.

(7) Right to data portability
You have the right to receive the personal data concerning you, which you have provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and you have the right to transmit those data to another controller without hindrance from the controller to which the personal data have been provided, where:

a. the processing is based on consent pursuant to Article 6(1)(a) or Article 9(2)(a) or on a contract pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) GDPR and

b. the processing is carried out by automated means.

In exercising the right to data portability pursuant to paragraph 1, you have the right to have the personal data transmitted directly from one controller to another, where technically feasible. The exercise of the right to data portability shall be without prejudice to the right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”). That right shall not apply to processing necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

(8) Right to object
You have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you which is based on Article 6(1)(e) or (f) GDPR; this also applies to profiling based on those provisions. The controller shall no longer process the personal data unless it can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override the interests, rights and freedoms of the data subject, or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Where personal data are processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for such marketing; this also applies to profiling to the extent that it is related to such direct marketing. If you object to processing for direct marketing purposes, the personal data shall no longer be processed for such purposes.

In the context of the use of information society services, and notwithstanding Directive 2002/58/EC, you may exercise your right to object by automated means using technical specifications.

You have the right, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to object to the processing of personal data concerning you which is carried out for scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes pursuant to Article 89(1), unless the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out for reasons of public interest.

You can exercise the right to object at any time by contacting the respective controller.

(9) Automated individual decision-making, including profiling
You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you. This shall not apply if the decision:

a. is necessary for entering into, or performance of, a contract between the data subject and the controller,

b. is authorised by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject and which also lays down suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights and freedoms and legitimate interests, or

c. is based on the data subject’s explicit consent.

The controller shall implement suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights and freedoms and legitimate interests, at least the right to obtain human intervention on the part of the controller, to express his or her point of view and to contest the decision.

The data subject can exercise this right at any time by contacting the respective controller.

(10) Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement, if you consider that the processing of personal data relating to you infringes this Regulation.

(11) Right to an effective judicial remedy
Without prejudice to any available administrative or non-judicial remedy, including the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority pursuant to Article 77 GDPR, you have the right to an effective judicial remedy where you consider that your rights under this Regulation have been infringed as a result of the processing of your personal data in non-compliance with this Regulation.