Privacy policy

Page contents

Markes International Ltd. [Markes] recognises that privacy is important when communicating with customers, suppliers and other third parties.

This notice explains how we collect, store, use and share personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

This notice is issued by Markes and is also applicable to all subsidiary companies and / or branches thereof [Markes subsidiaries].

It is addressed to individuals outside our company with whom we interact.

Introduction

Under applicable data protection laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate (including the EU GDPR and UK GDPR), Markes and Markes Subsidiaries may act as data controllers in respect of the personal data processed in connection with their respective business activities.

We are a specialist manufacturer of scientific instrumentation for the detection of trace-level volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. We operate globally through a network of regional offices, the locations of which can be seen on the 'Contact us' page of our website.

We have appointed a Data Privacy Manager to oversee our compliance with applicable data protection laws.

Our Data Privacy Manager can be contacted at privacy@markes.com or by writing to us at our registered address.

What personal data do we collect?

The type and categories of personal data which we may collect include:

· Personal details: Name, address, account settings, email signature, etc.

· Contact details: Telephone number, email address, company name, etc.

· Device details: Device type, operating system, browser details, IP address, dates/times of connection to the site, and other technical communications information

· Payment details: Billing address, bank details, account-holder details, credit ratings, VAT number or equivalent, etc.

· Usage details: Registration details, details of content with which you interact, downloads, page views etc.

· Communications and correspondence: business emails, enquiries and other communications with us, including records of our interactions with you

· Analytics: Location (through IP address), behaviour (based on cookies), etc. (for further information see below, under 'Cookies and similar technologies')

Markes will ensure that the personal data it collects will be adequate, relevant and not excessive for the purposes required. It will be kept accurate and up-to-date based on information provided, and to the best of our ability thereafter.

Sensitive personal information

We do not intend to collect personal data from individuals under the age of 18 through our website or during our customer, supplier or other external business relationships. If any such data comes to our attention, we will delete it where appropriate.

Children’s data

We do not intend to collect personal data from individuals under the age of 18 through our website or during our customer, supplier or other external business relationships. If any such data comes to our attention, we will delete it where appropriate.

How do we collect your data?

Examples of sources from which we may collect your Personal Data include the following:

When you provide it to us, e.g. where you contact us via email, telephone, web chat or by any other means. We do not record phone calls.
In the ordinary course of our relationship with you, e.g. in the course of fulfilling supply of goods and services, whether for a fee or not.
When you manifestly choose to make the data public by completing contact forms, including information collected via the website.
From third parties who provide it to us (see below, 'Data received from third parties').
When you visit our site or use any features or resources available on or through our site, your browser will automatically disclose certain information, some of which may constitute personal data (see below, 'Cookies and similar technologies').
We may also create personal data about you, such as records of your interactions using our site and details of your account transactions if relevant.

Data received from third parties

From time to time, we may receive information about you from third parties. These may be media partners, exhibitions, conferences, suppliers & other business partners. It is also possible that third parties with whom we have had no prior contact may provide us with information about you. Generally, this information will include your name, business contact details and professional or organisational information, but may include other relevant information provided to us.

In some circumstances we will have a legitimate reason for processing the data even if you have not consented to sharing it, e.g. to fulfil an order process; where you have infringed (or potentially infringed) any of our legal rights; fraud prevention, etc.

If we receive information about you from a third party in error and/or we do not have a legal basis for processing that information, we will delete your information.

How will we use your data?

We want to give you the best experience when interacting with Markes. The data we hold about you helps us provide you with the best possible service level and ensures that we can fulfil any contractual obligations. We will use your data for several reasons, including:

To fulfil your request for information.
To fulfil any contractual or pre-contractual obligations, for example, the supply of goods and services, whether for a fee or not.
To fulfil any obligations under our sub-contract with a third party.
To pay you or request payment for goods and services supplied.
To ensure that our website, marketing emails or other communications delivers valid and relevant content.
To maintain appropriate records of our communications and interactions with customers, prospective customers and other business contacts
To maintain and improve the accuracy of our customer and business contact records.
Running and managing our business effectively and within the law.
To prevent fraud or other criminal activity.

What is our legal basis for processing your data?

We will only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Contract – where processing is necessary to enter or perform a contract with you.
Legal obligation – where processing is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory requirement.
Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
Consent – where we have specifically asked for and obtained your consent.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the purpose and necessity of the processing and its potential impact on individuals.

If we share your personal data, the appropriate lawful basis will depend on the purpose and circumstances of that sharing

What are your individual rights?

Under applicable data protection laws, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data.

Your right	How to exercise that right
The right to be informed about the collection and use of your data.	This privacy notice informs you about the collection & use of your data. It is available on our website and you may request a written copy of the notice from the DPO
You have the right to request access to your personal data	Make a request for access, verbally or in writing, from the DPO
You have the right to rectification if you believe the personal data we hold is inaccurate	Make a request for rectification, verbally or in writing from the DPO
Right to erasure (right to be forgotten) or to restrict processing	Make a request verbally or in writing from the DPO. In some circumstances, e.g. order fulfilment, to comply with HMRC or similar, immediate erasure will not be possible. In this case you will be informed of the reasons
Right to object	You have an absolute right to object to your data being used for direct marketing. Our marketing communications utilise easily found ‘opt-out’ buttons for this reason. Alternatively you may make an objection verbally or in writing to the DPO.
Rights relating to Automated Decision Making	We may use profiling as part of our marketing activities, for example to help us understand interests and engagement. We do not use solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
Right to data portability	In certain circumstances, you have the right to receive personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, or to ask us to transfer it to another organisation.

Who else receives your data?

We share personal data with a number of third parties who provide services supporting our business. Where those third parties process personal data on our behalf, appropriate data processing arrangements are put in place in accordance with applicable data protection laws. Only adequate, relevant and limited information is used for each purpose. Key service providers include:

Microsoft Corporation

We use Microsoft’s Office 365 as a third-party email provider to store emails you send us.
https://products.office.com/en-gb/business/office-365-trust-center-privacy

Spindogs

Our web developer and hosting company is Spindogs. Our website automatically logs the IP address you use to access our website.
https://www.spindogs.co.uk/privacy-policy/

Exellence IT

Excellence IT are our third-party IT service provider.
https://excellence-it.co.uk

Google Inc.

Google collects information including IP addresses and information from cookies through our use of Google Analytics on our website. Google Analytics is used for tracking the number of visits that our different web pages receive. We use this information for analytical purposes only.

For further information regarding cookies, see below ('Cookies and similar technologies')
https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/

Salesforce

We use Salesforce for our customer relationship management and marketing automation.
https://www.salesforce.com/company/privacy/

Hubspot

We use Hubspot for customer relationship management, sales and marketing activities

https://legal.hubspot.com/privacy-policy

pointslook GmbH

We use pointslook to support business contact data verification, enrichment and lead qualification.

https://pointslook.com/en/cms/101-datenschutzerklaerung.html

Creditsafe

We use Creditsafe to assess credit and risk where we are entering into a financial arrangement with a third party.
https://www.creditsafe.com/gb/en/legal/privacy-policy.html

Cleardata

Cleardata provides us with a document scanning service.
http://www.cleardata.co.uk/privacy-policy.htm

The Maltings

The Maltings (Cardiff, UK) provides us with a Document Management Service to store archived material that must be kept for statutory periods, i.e. HMRC, VAT records, etc.
http://themaltingsdss.co.uk/privacy-policy

Group companies

We may share your personal data with other companies within the Markes group and, where relevant, with other affiliated companies operating under the Velaris brand.

Contact data for Markes Group companies can be found on our website https://www.markes.com/contact

Contact data for other affiliated companies operating under the Velaris brand can be found on the Velaris web site https://www.velaris.com/

Other business partners

Where we have legitimate business interests, the personal data we have collected from you may be transferred to other companies outside the UK and the European Economic Area. Where required, appropriate contractual or other safeguards are put in place in accordance with applicable data protection laws. Examples of this would include:

Where you have expressed an interest in purchasing goods and services and you are based in a territory where we work alongside a third-party distributor who would be responsible for sales & support in that territory.
To prevent fraud, cyber-crime, or other criminal activity.
In connection with the enforcement of our legal rights, e.g. debt collection, copyright or patent infringement etc.
If required by law or otherwise needed in connection with legal proceedings.
Any successor to all or part of our business.

How long will we keep your data?

We will retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary in connection with the purposes set out in this notice, unless applicable law requires a longer retention period (i.e. to comply with HMRC requirements or to defend/exercise any legal rights).
If there is no legislative requirement to retain your data, and you are not a customer of Markes or its subsidiaries, we will typically delete your personal data three years after your last contact with us.

Where is your data stored and how is it secured?

We take appropriate technical & organisational measures to secure your personal data and to protect it against unauthorised or unlawful use and accidental loss or destruction. These include:

Secure company servers.
The use of multi-level password protection.
Data encryption where appropriate.
Limiting access to data through appropriate authorisation & permission settings.
A robust IT policy that is reviewed regularly.
Participation in a regular penetration testing process.
Secure sockets layer (SSL) technology on our website.

Transmission of information to us by email

Transmission of information over the internet is not completely secure. Although we take reasonable steps to protect personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted to us electronically.

International Transfers of Personal Data

Personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the UK and European Economic Area, including where we use service providers, group companies or other business partners.

Where required, appropriate safeguards are put in place in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Cookies and similar technologies

A ‘cookie’ is a data file that is sent from a website you visit to a browser to record information about users for various purposes.
We use cookies and similar technologies on our website, including necessary, functional, analytical and marketing cookies and similar tracking technologies.
Necessary cookies are required for the website to operate. Other cookies, including analytical and marketing cookies, are only used where you have provided your consent.
When you first visit our website, you can manage your cookie preferences through our cookie settings tool. You can change those preferences at any time using the cookie settings available on our website.

Notice updates

Please note that this privacy notice is reviewed periodically and may be amended from time to time. We will update this notice accordingly with a new effective date stated at the beginning of it.
If we make major changes to our privacy notice or intend to use your data for a new purpose other than the purposes for which we originally collected it, we will notify you by posting a notice on our website.

Complaints

We’d like the opportunity to resolve any concerns or complaints you may have. You may also have the right to complain to the relevant data protection or supervisory authority in the jurisdiction in which you are located. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).