Privacy policy

This policy explains which personal data we process when you use our website, our online services and apps or are in contact with us, for which purposes and on which legal basis we do so, and who may receive the data.

Controller and data protection officer

The controller is Fresenius Umwelttechnik GmbH, Doncaster Platz 5, 45699 Herten, Germany, phone +49 2366 93961-10, email info@fresenius-ut.com. Further details are in our imprint.

You can reach our data protection officer at the same address, marked “Data protection officer”, or by email to info@fresenius-ut.com (subject “Data protection”).

Recipients

Within our company, only the departments that need your data for the respective purpose have access to it. We also use service providers who process data on our behalf and according to our instructions (Art. 28 GDPR), in particular for hosting and IT security, email, customer management, software and AI services. Other recipients only receive data if this is necessary to perform a contract (for example a sales partner in your region), if you have consented or if we are legally obliged to disclose it. Providers whose services run on our website are named in the following sections and in the cookie list.

Providing the website

When you visit our website and online services, the servers process technically necessary data: IP address, date and time, requested address, referring page, browser and operating system. We use this data to provide the services, fix errors and fend off attacks. We delete it as soon as it is no longer needed for these purposes. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in secure and stable operation (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Cookies and consent

We use cookies and similar technologies. Technically necessary ones are always active (Section 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). All others are only used with your consent (Section 25(1) TDDDG, Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). On your first visit, our cookie banner asks which purposes you consent to: preferences, statistics and marketing. We store your choices for up to one year. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future, using the button at the bottom left of the browser window or directly in these settings:

We use Google’s consent mode. Without your consent, Google services do not set cookies for statistics or advertising. They may, however, receive cookieless signals, for example that a page was viewed.

The following list shows the cookies with provider, purpose and retention period:

Statistics

With your consent we analyse how our website is used, for example which pages are viewed, where visitors come from and which devices they use. For this we use Google Analytics (Google Ireland Limited, Ireland, and Google LLC, USA) and Microsoft Clarity (Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited, Ireland, and Microsoft Corporation, USA). Clarity additionally records clicks, mouse movements and scrolling. In our online portals and apps we use PostHog (PostHog Inc., USA) for the same purpose. The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, Section 25(1) TDDDG). More information: Google privacy policy, Microsoft privacy statement and PostHog privacy policy.

These services and the advertising services are loaded by Google Tag Manager according to your choices. Tag Manager itself does not set cookies, but Google receives your IP address when it loads (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Advertising and performance measurement

With your consent we measure whether our ads lead to inquiries and make our advertising more relevant. For this we use Google Ads (Google Ireland Limited, Google LLC), LinkedIn Insight (LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company, Ireland) and HubSpot (see below). Online identifiers as well as click and conversion data are processed. To attribute inquiries to an ad, we may send contact details from inquiries to Google in hashed, i.e. unreadable, form. The legal basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, Section 25(1) TDDDG). To protect against click fraud, we check technical characteristics such as IP address and browser data when our ads are clicked (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). More information: Google privacy policy and LinkedIn privacy policy.

Inquiries, chat and customer care

When you contact us by form, email, phone, WhatsApp or chat, we process your details (for example name, company, contact details and the content of your inquiry). We use them to handle your request and look after you. With WhatsApp, Meta (Meta Platforms Ireland Limited) receives your phone number and communication metadata (WhatsApp privacy policy). The legal basis is the performance of a contract or pre-contractual steps (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and our legitimate interest in efficient customer communication (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). For newsletters it is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you can withdraw at any time via the unsubscribe link.

HubSpot. We use HubSpot (HubSpot Ireland Limited, Ireland, and HubSpot, Inc., USA) for forms, chat, email communication, newsletters and customer management. HubSpot sets cookies on our website. They allow HubSpot to recognise visitors, continue the chat and link visits to a later inquiry. More information: HubSpot privacy policy.

Chat with Tory. Our chat assistant Tory answers questions, sends documents and arranges appointments. Tory forwards your inquiry to us and, if you wish, to a sales partner. Some of Tory’s answers are generated with AI, and the chat tells you when this is the case. We store your messages and the chat history and also analyse them to improve our advice. To protect against misuse, the chat loads Google reCAPTCHA (see Protection against misuse). Information given in the chat is not binding.

Quotations, orders and service

For quotations, orders, invoices, maintenance and repairs we process contact and company data as well as device and order data. The legal bases are the performance of the contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR), statutory retention obligations (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR) and our legitimate interest in orderly customer care (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Business contacts from public sources. To approach companies for which our measurement technology may be of interest, we collect business contact details from publicly accessible sources such as company websites and registers. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in initiating business (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). You can object to this at any time.

Use of AI services

We use AI services to handle inquiries, create texts, translations and documents and analyse data. In doing so, content of inquiries and documents as well as contact and business data may be transferred to providers of AI language models and AI-based research services. These are based in the EU (Ireland) and in the USA. We may also use questions from customer inquiries for website and marketing content. Nothing that identifies you or your company is published. We do not make solely automated decisions within the meaning of Art. 22 GDPR. The legal basis is the performance of a contract or pre-contractual steps (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and our legitimate interest in efficient processes (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

Online portals and apps

In our online portals and apps we process the data needed for the respective function: account and sign-in data, contact and company data, uploaded files, device and measurement data, and usage and log data. We may also use device and measurement data for service and to improve our products. Apps only access functions of your device such as camera, Bluetooth or location if you have allowed it. We may analyse usage and errors with PostHog (see Statistics), with your consent where required. If you download an app from Google Play or the App Store, the store operators process data under their own responsibility. The legal basis is the performance of the contract or terms of use (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR), our legitimate interest in secure and stable applications (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) and, where required, your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). We will delete your account on request. Please write to info@fresenius-ut.com.

Job applications

If you apply via our careers page or by email, we process your details and documents to carry out the application process (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). We need your name, email address and CV or profile link to process your application. All other details are voluntary. Only the people involved in the selection have access. If you are hired, we transfer the data to your personnel file. Otherwise we delete it no later than six months after the end of the process, unless you have consented to longer retention. This period serves our legitimate interest in being able to defend claims under the German General Equal Treatment Act (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).

So that we can see how applications reach us, the form transmits information on their origin, for example campaign, entry page, referring website and device type (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). If you have consented to statistics or marketing, your browser additionally stores information about your visits to our careers pages for this purpose (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, Section 25(1) TDDDG). Our analyses do not contain names or contact details.

Protection against misuse

We protect forms, sign-ins and our chat with Cloudflare Turnstile (Cloudflare, Inc., USA) or Google reCAPTCHA (Google Ireland Limited, Google LLC). For this, your IP address and technical information about your browser and device are transmitted to the provider. The provider uses them to check whether a human or an automated program is accessing the site. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in protection against misuse (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). More information: Cloudflare privacy policy and Google privacy policy.

Transfers to third countries

Some recipients are based in the USA or may transfer data there. They include Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, HubSpot, Cloudflare, Meta, PostHog and providers of AI services. If a provider is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, we base the transfer on the European Commission’s adequacy decision (Art. 45 GDPR). Otherwise we use the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses (Art. 46(2)(c) GDPR). Certified companies are listed in the Data Privacy Framework list. You can obtain a copy of the standard contractual clauses on request.

Retention

We store personal data for as long as it is needed for the respective purpose or until you withdraw your consent. We then delete it. Exceptions apply where statutory retention periods exist (up to ten years under commercial and tax law) or where we need the data to establish or defend legal claims. The retention periods of cookies are shown in the cookie list.

Your rights

You have the right of access (Art. 15 GDPR), rectification (Art. 16), erasure (Art. 17), restriction of processing (Art. 18) and data portability (Art. 20). You can withdraw consent at any time with effect for the future (Art. 7(3) GDPR).

Right to object. Where we process data on the basis of our legitimate interest, you can object at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation (Art. 21(1) GDPR). You can object to processing for direct marketing at any time without giving reasons (Art. 21(2) GDPR).

Please contact info@fresenius-ut.com. You may also lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority, for example the authority responsible for us, the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of North Rhine-Westphalia.

You are not required by law or contract to provide your data. Without the necessary details, however, we cannot process your inquiry, order or application.

Changes

We update this policy when our services or the legal situation change. The version published here applies. Its date is shown above under “Last updated”.