Data Protection

(Version: 01/02/2022)

Maschinenbau Kitz GmbH (Managing director: Sascha Krebs), Ampèrestrasse 18, 53844 Troisdorf, Germany, as the data controller and service provider, would like to inform you, as the user of the https://www.mk-group.com website, in a generally understandable form, about how, to what extent and for what purpose we capture and use personal data in connection with the use of our website, as well as point out your available options and rights.

Of course, we observe the legal provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR), the German Telemedia Act (TMG) and other data protection regulations, and take the resulting responsibility for the protection of your personal data seriously. To that end, we would therefore like to point out the following:

1 Personal data – How and the extent to which we capture and use it

1.1 The subject matter of data protection is personal data. 'Personal data' means individual details concerning the personal or factual circumstances of an identified or identifiable natural person, such as name, date of birth, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number or bank details.

1.2 We capture, process or use only such personal data that is required for the utilisation and performance of our services, or whose use you have consented to, for example, for the purposes of promotion, other communication or Web analytics. Otherwise we capture, process and use your personal data only if, notwithstanding the above, a legal regulation expressly allows or even requires this.

1.3 You are never required to enter your personal data in order to view the services and information provided on our website. If, however, you would like to subscribe to our free information material such as our electronic newsletter https://www.mk-group.com/en/newsletter.html using the double opt-in procedure and use this material, or send individual queries to us via our support e-mail address or telephone us with your queries, we do of course need particular personal data from you in order to respond accordingly, get in contact with you and fulfil your wishes (such data includes first name and surname, e-mail address, and possibly your postal address and telephone number).

1.4 We also offer you the possibility to register online for a customer account, which you can access with a personal password on the pages of our online services, namely

  • our webshop https://shop.mk-group.com/
  • our CAD service https://mk.partcommunity.com/3d-cad-models/sso/
  • our Conveyor Configurator https://quickdesigner.com/
  • our Factory Equipment Configurator https://www.mk-group.com/en/service/tools-and-configurators/guarding-configurator.html
  • In the customer account area of the webshop, you have the possibility to select particular products from our product portfolio and combine them into a kind of 'wish list', in order to place an order for them or be able to view detailed product information.
  • In the online area of our CAD service, we can make CAD models in various file formats available for you to download for free.
  • Our Conveyor Configurator allows you to create CAD models as STEP files and additional quotation documents as PDF files for free. We make these files available for you to download in your personal account.
  • In our Tool area, we can also make our Factory Equipment Configurator available as an application for free download (including instructions for installation on your computer).

To enable you to use this service, personal data that is required to ensure smooth quotation preparation and/or order processing at a subsequent stage (such as first name and surname, e-mail address, postal address, invoice address, telephone number and possibly further data) likewise has to be captured and stored.

1.5 When you access our website, details relating to communication (for example, IP address) and to your use of the site (for example, start of use and duration, and the telecommunications services you used) are generated automatically using technical means. Theoretically, these details could allow us to infer personal data, but normally this is only possible with considerable time and effort. Therefore, insofar as your communication or use-related details are captured, processed and used, they too are subject to the data protection regulations.

1.6 With regard to the capture, processing and use of personal or communication-related data for the purpose of marketing analysis and in connection with so-called social plug-ins (in particular, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Xing), please see the detailed explanations according to clauses 4., 5. and 6. below. Options available to you here include making an appropriate setting in your browser and not logging in to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Xing user account.

1.7 We process data required in connection with your application. This data may be general personal information (your name, address and contact information), information on your professional qualifications and education or information on your professional development, as well as other information that you provide us with in connection with your application.

2 Purpose of the capture and use of your data, disclosure to third parties

2.1 We capture, process and use your personal data only insofar as it is needed to process and execute your request/order for our products, reply to your individual enquiries/questions, or, if you give separate consent, to provide you with a particular service (CAD data) or particular promotional information (in particular, our newsletter). Specifically, this concerns the following queries/required fields:

  • For processing your request/order and for forwarding quotations and detailed product information via your customer account: e-mail address, first name and surname, company, delivery address and, if different, invoice address, and a telephone number in case of any queries
  • For use of our webshop: company data, VAT number, street and number, town/city, postcode, country, telephone, e-mail, first name, surname. Relevant link: https://shop.mk-group.com/account (in accordance with clause 8.3 below with detailed explanations regarding use of personal data for our webshop as permitted by law, and regarding revocation)
  • For sending our electronic newsletter: title, first name, surname, company, street and number, town/city, postcode, e-mail address, telephone number, subject. Relevant link:https://www.mk-group.com/en/newsletter.html (in accordance with clause 8.3 below with detailed explanations regarding use of personal data for our newsletter as permitted by law, and regarding revocation)
  • For use of our electronic 3D CAD models: user name, password, e-mail address, title, first name, surname; company, country, street, postcode, town/city, federal state/canton, telephone, language, licence term. Relevant link: https://mk.partcommunity.com/3d-cad-models/?language=en (in accordance with clause 8.3 below with detailed explanations regarding use of personal data for our 3D CAD models as permitted by law, and regarding revocation)
  • For use of our online configurator mk QuickDesigner – brief registration: company, name, e-mail address, password, terms of use. Relevant link: https://quickdesigner.com//Start/de/Designer.aspx
  • For use of our online configurator mk QuickDesigner – detailed registration: title, first name, surname, telephone number, company, street and number, town/city, postcode, country, e-mail address, password, terms of use. Relevant link: https://quickdesigner.com//Start/de/Designer.aspx (in accordance with clause 8.3 below with detailed explanations regarding use of personal data for our mk QuickDesigner as permitted by law, and regarding revocation)
  • For a supplier enquiry: company, street, postcode, town/city, country, business language, homepage; for contact person: title, first name, surname, position, telephone, fax, mobile phone, e-mail address; further company data for supplier evaluation. Relevant link: https://www.mk-group.com/en/contact/suppliers.html (in accordance with clause 8.3 below with detailed explanations regarding use of personal data of our suppliers as permitted by law, and regarding revocation)
  • For download of our Factory Equipment Configurator: e-mail address, first name, surname, company, street, postcode, town/city, licence term. Relevant link: https://www.mk-group.com/en/service/tools-and-configurators/guarding-configurator.html
  • For download of individual documents, e.g. whitepaper: e-mail address, first name, surname, company, street, postcode, town/city, licence term.
  • For answering individual enquiries/questions: e-mail address and possibly telephone number
  • For sending promotional information by post: first name, surname and postal address

2.2 Your personal data is disclosed to third parties only to the extent that is necessary to execute your order or enquiry. It is necessary, for example, to forward your address data to the postal service provider used to deliver your ordered goods or information. These service providers may use your data only for the purpose of fulfilling your (delivery) order.

2.3 Other than this disclosure for purposes related to your order, your personal data is disclosed to third parties only if you have given your consent. We will not sell your personal data to third parties, nor will we market it otherwise.

2.4 We process your personal data for the purpose of processing your application for employment to the extent required for us to make a decision as to whether or not to enter into an employment relationship with the applicant. The legal basis for this processing is Section 26 para. 1 in conjunction with para. 8(2) BDSG. Moreover, we may also process your personal data if this is required to defend ourselves against legal claims that have been made on the basis of the application process. The legal basis for this processing is Art. 6(1)(f) of the GDPR; the legitimate interest is, for example, a burden of proof obligation in a legal process in accordance with the German General Equal Treatment Act (AGG). Should we enter into an employment relationship with the applicant, we may further process personal data that we have already received from you for the purposes of this employment relationship in accordance with Section 26 para. 1 BDSG if this is required in order for us to carry out or terminate the employment relationship or for the purposes of exercising or complying with the legal rights and/or obligations in the interest of the employee on the basis of or in accordance with a law, collective wage agreement, collective bargaining agreement, or a service agreement (collective agreement).

3 Web analytics using Google Analytics and cookies

3.1 This website uses Google Analytics, a Web analytics service from Google (Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA). Google Analytics uses so-called 'cookies', text files that are stored on your computer and enable an analysis of your use of the website. The information about your use of this website generated by the cookie is normally transferred to a Google server in the USA and stored there. However, if IP anonymisation is activated on this website, your IP address will be shortened beforehand by Google within member states of the European Union or in other states that are signatories of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases is the full IP address transferred to a Google server and shortened there. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use this information to analyse your use of the website, compile reports about the website activities and to deliver further services related to use of the website and the Internet to the website operator. The IP address transferred from your browser in connection with Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data.

3.2 This information (which is not 'personal information') allows us to adjust our website to the interests and focuses of our users, determine how attractive our website is, and improve its performance and contents.

3.3 You can disable the generation or storage of cookies through a setting in your browser software; however, if you do so, you might not be able to use the full scope of functions of this website. Therefore, another way to prevent Google from acquiring and processing data generated by cookies and related to your use of the website (including your IP address) is to download and install the browser plugin available under the following link: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de.

3.4 If you do not use the available options mentioned in clause 3.3, then by using this website, you declare that you agree to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner described above and for the purpose stated above.

4 Use of Facebook (social plug-In)

4.1 You will find a so-called social plug-in for the Facebook social network (Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Irland) integrated on our Internet pages. Social plug-ins include buttons, fields and messages that a webpage like ours can use to present contents of other webpages to you (such as our company presence on Facebook, for example) and to enable you to have an environment-oriented and personalised user experience. You will be able to recognise these Facebook plug-ins from one of the Facebook logos or symbols that are no doubt familiar to you (letter 'f' on a tile with a blue background, 'Like' button with thumbs-up graphic). An overview of the Facebook social plug-ins can be found at: http://de-de.facebook.com/help/443483272359009/. Although these buttons, fields and messages are displayed on other webpages, their content comes directly from Facebook. If you interact with social plug-ins, you share experiences outside Facebook with Facebook friends and others on Facebook. If, for example, you click 'Like' on our webpage, this will be visible to the Facebook users with whom you share messages in accordance with your own Facebook settings.

4.2 If you visit our pages, the plug-in establishes a direct connection between your browser and the Facebook server. Facebook is thereby informed that you have visited our page with your IP address. If you click the Facebook 'Like' button while logged in to your Facebook account, you can link the contents of our pages to your Facebook profile. Facebook can thereby assign the visit to our pages to your user account.

4.3 If you do not want Facebook to assign the visit to our pages to your Facebook user account, please log out of your Facebook user account before visiting our page, or do not log in / do not register with Facebook after clicking a Facebook button, field or message and being prompted to do so.

4.4 Please note that as the provider of the pages, we have no knowledge of the content of the transmitted data and its use by Facebook. Further information can be found on the Facebook website under 'Social plugins' https://de-de.facebook.com/help/103828869708800?helpref=faq_content and 'Privacy' https://de-de.facebook.com/help/213802165366955?helpref=search and in the Data Policy at http://de-de.facebook.com/policy.php.

4.5 By using this website in conjunction with the Facebook social plug-ins, you declare that you agree to the processing of data about you by Facebook in the manner described above and for the purpose stated above.

5 Use of Twitter (social plug-in – widget)

5.1 Integrated in our webpage is a social plug-in (see clause 4.1 above) – also referred to as a 'widget' – that enables you to share, in real time, current information on our company with us and others in the Twitter information network (Twitter, Inc., 1355 Market St, Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA) or to follow us on Twitter. You can recognise such Twitter plug-ins from one of the familiar Twitter logos or symbols (on our site, a 'blue bird'). Although this button is displayed on our webpages, its content comes directly from Twitter.

5.2 You can only use the Twitter services if you register there and log in. By doing so, you agree to your information being captured, transferred, modified, stored, disclosed or used otherwise in accordance with the Twitter Privacy Policy. Here is a link to the privacy policy, where you will find details regarding how, to what extent and for what purpose Twitter captures and uses the data: Twitter Privacy Policy. Like many other websites, Twitter uses, for instance, 'cookie' technology to capture data about the use of the website and improve its services (see clause 3.1 above). Besides the log data, this relates primarily to the actual 'Tweets', 'Follow', 'Lists', location information and the links you have used, but also to so-called widget data.

5.3 If you click the Twitter button (blue bird) on our webpage and the widget is thereby loaded and displayed for the first time, Twitter receives log data (which includes the webpage you have visited) and a cookie that identifies your browser ('widget data'). Using the widget data, Twitter can tailor contents to suit you, for example, by suggesting you follow an account on Twitter. Tailored contents are stored only together with your browser cookie ID; they are stored separately from other widget data such as information about your webpage visits. This function is optional and is not yet available to all users. You have the possibility to stop the function temporarily or disable it. In this case, the cookie that enables this function will be removed from your browser. Further information about this function can be found on the Twitter webpages. As regards the tweets, log data and other information that Twitter receives through user interaction with the Twitter button or widgets on our webpage, please read the Twitter Privacy Policy. Please note that as the provider of the webpage with the widget, we have no knowledge of the content of the data hereby transmitted and its use by Twitter.

5.4 If you do not want Twitter to assign the visit to our pages to your Twitter user account, please log out of your Twitter user account before visiting our page, or do not log in / do not register with Twitter after clicking a Twitter button, field or message and being prompted to do so.

5.5 By using this website in conjunction with the Twitter social plug-ins or widgets, you declare that you agree to the processing of data about you by Twitter in the manner described above and for the purpose stated above.

6 Other social plug-ins (LinkedIn and Xing)

6.1 You will also find social plug-ins from LinkedIn (LinkedIn Corporation, 2029 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA) and from Xing (XING AG, Dammtorstrasse 29-32, 20354 Hamburg, Germany) integrated on our webpage. Here, the same principles as detailed in clauses 4. and 5. apply. Above all, this means that these providers use cookie technology to capture and process log data and data about your visits to our webpages as soon as you connect to their services/pages via the button. This data can be assigned to your person insofar as you are registered with your own profile with these service providers and are logged in during your visit to our webpage. Depending on the way in which you use the social plug-ins of these providers, you share further information with the communication and information networks connected there or make it public.

6.2 Please note that as the provider of the webpage with the social plug-in, we have no knowledge of the content of the data hereby transmitted and its use by LinkedIn and Xing. Regarding precisely how, to what extent and for what purpose the data is captured and used by these services, the privacy policy that you accepted by registering a profile applies. Once again, here are the relevant links:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
Xing: www.xing.com/privacy

6.3 Here, too, the following applies: You should not log in or register with your profile with these services before or during a visit to our pages if you do not want LinkedIn or Xing to assign the page visit to your profile/user account. Furthermore, by using our webpage in conjunction with the social plug-ins from the providers LinkedIn or Xing, you declare that you agree to the processing of data about you by these service providers in the manner described above and for the purpose stated above.

7 Duration of data storage

7.1 We retain your personal data only for as long as is required to carry out the legal relationship that exists with you. After fulfilment of the contract and once the regulations under tax and commercial law have been complied with, your personal data is deleted unless you have agreed to use of your data beyond this (you continue to use a customer account that you have set up with us, for instance).

7.2 We store your personal data for as long as required in order to make a decision regarding your application. If we do not enter into an employment relationship with the applicant, we retain the right to store data after this point if it is required in order to defend ourselves again possible legal claims made by the applicant. In this case, the application documents will be deleted six months after the applicant has received the notice of rejection, unless storage for a longer period of time is required as a result of one or more legal disputes.

8 Right to information and right of revocation, cancelling newsletters, other available options

8.1 You are entitled to receive information on the data we have stored about you, its origin, the recipients of the data (if applicable) and the purpose of the data storage at reasonable intervals. In accordance with the GDPR, you can ask us at any time to correct, delete and block your personal data. We will delete your data upon first request as long as this does not violate any legal regulations.

8.2 Insofar as the use, processing and disclosure of your personal data by Maschinenbau Kitz GmbH is based on your consent (for example, for promotional, marketing or market research purposes), you can withdraw your consent at any time with future effect and without giving reasons (to do so, please send an e-mail to info(at)mk-group.com). Furthermore, you can disagree to further use of your data insofar as we use it within the limits of the law (for example, for sending promotional material by post).

8.3 Insofar as you have signed up to use our online services (such as the webshop, CAD data, the newsletter or the mk QuickDesigner) or have registered as an mk supplier, you can deregister/cancel at any time. You can revoke the legally permissible use of your personal data through the online service at this initial stage (preceding order placement) by sending an informal e-mail to marketing(at)mk-group.com.
It is therefore easy for you to cancel the online service; when you do so, your contact data is deleted. No costs other than the basic tariffs are incurred.

8.4 In respect of preventing storage and use of anonymised or pseudoanonymised data through Google Analytics or of personal data in connection with the use of social plug-ins, please see the options described in clauses 3.3, 4.3, 5.3 and 6.3.

8.5 If you have any questions on the topic of data protection, please contact the data protection officer at Maschinenbau Kitz GmbH:

Claus Wissing
Sachverständigenbüro Mülot GmbH
Grüner Weg 80, 48268 Greven
Phone: 02571 5402-0
E-Mail: datenschutz(at)svb-muelot.de

8.6 Right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authorities in accordance with Article 77(1) GDPR: Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you 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 violates the GDPR.

9. Security

9.1 If you call up pages and files from our https://www.mk-group.com webpage and are prompted to enter data about yourself, please be aware that this data transmission takes place over the Internet with an encrypted transfer protocol (https: hypertext transfer protocol secure) and the data is therefore protected against unauthorised access.

9.2 If you call up pages and files from our https://quickdesigner.com/ webpage and are prompted to enter data about yourself, please be aware that this data transmission takes place over the Internet with an encrypted transfer protocol (https: hypertext transfer protocol secure) and the data is therefore protected against unauthorised access.

10. Cookie settings