Privacy Policy

Person responsible within the meaning of the GDPR:

PI (Physik Instrumente) Ltd. UK
Trent House, University Way,
Cranfield Technology Park,
Cranfield, Bedford
MK43 0AN
United Kingdom
Phone: +44 1234 756 360
Email: uk@pi.ws
Website: www.physikinstrumente.co.uk

Contact information for PI’s Data Protection Officer:

Dr. Alexander Deicke 

K11 Consulting GmbH  
Kaffeeberg 11 
71634 Ludwigsburg  
Germany  
Phone: +49 7141 9475321  
E-Mail: datenschutz@k11consulting.de 
Website: k11-consulting.com 

Each time the website is accessed, only certain information is automatically collected and stored in so-called server log files, which are transmitted to the PI web server. This includes the type and version of the browser used, the operating system used, the referrer URL, the subpages visited, the date and time of access, the IP address, the Internet service provider, and similar technical data. This data is processed separately from other data. It is not possible to associate this data with a certain person.

This data is used by PI to maintain the functionality of the Website, detect and resolve technical issues, and prevent or, if necessary, prosecute cases of misuse. In addition, the anonymized data is used for statistical analysis and to improve the Website.

The legal basis for this data processing is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, based on PI’s legitimate interest in ensuring the smooth operation and security of the company’s internal IT systems. The collected data will be deleted after seven days at the latest, unless retention is required for evidentiary purposes. In such cases, it is stored until the incident has been fully resolved.

When contacting PI via a form on the Website or by email, the personal data provided (name, email address, company, and content of the message) is collected and processed. This data is processed, stored, and used to respond to the respective inquiry, to establish contact with the person making the inquiry, and for related technical processing and administrative purposes.  

The legal basis for processing this data is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (for contract-related contact) or Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (in all other cases), depending on the nature of the respective contact. 

The personal data entered in the contact form is processed not only to handle the respective inquiry, but also for internal analysis and improvement of PI’s services. In particular, this includes: 

• The evaluation of frequently asked questions 

• The identification of recurring inquiries 

• The statistical analysis of inquiries 

The legal basis for this processing is PI’s legitimate interest under Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, as it contributes to the continuous improvement of the services offered by PI. 

Data received in the course of contacting PI will be deleted once it is no longer required for the purpose for which it was collected. This applies as soon as a request has been fully processed, and no further communication is necessary or desired by the person making the request. 

PI reserves the right to store network data for a limited time and solely for the purpose of identifying fraud or misuse, such as detecting hacker attacks. Such data will be stored for a maximum of 30 days, unless there is a justified reason to retain it for a longer period. 

Visitors to the Website have the option to subscribe to the PI newsletter via the company website. Visitors who register for the email newsletter will regularly receive the current product catalog and marketing information. For this purpose, personal data such as email addresses and, where applicable, names are collected. After a visitor submits their email address, a confirmation email is sent requesting confirmation of the registration. Only upon confirmation is the email address stored, and it remains stored until the respective person unsubscribes from the newsletter. 

Data is processed on the basis of the visitor’s consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. This consent can be revoked at any time with future effect. 

Unsubscribing from the newsletter is possible via the link “Unsubscribe from newsletter” included in the footer of every email sent or by emailing enews@pi.ws. Once unsubscribed, the personal data associated with the newsletter dispatch will be immediately deleted.

This website uses web analysis and tracking tools provided by third parties. Some of these third-party providers also process data in the United States. It is important to note that, according to the European Court of Justice, there is currently no adequate level of protection for data transfers to the USA. This may entail various risks in terms of the lawfulness and security of data processing. 

As a basis for data processing with recipients located in third countries, so-called standard contractual clauses pursuant to Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR are used by third-party providers working with PI. Standard contractual clauses (SCCs) are templates issued by the EU Commission and are intended to ensure that personal data continues to be protected according to European data protection standards, even when processed in third countries such as the USA. Under these clauses, third-party providers undertake to comply with the European level of data protection when processing personal data, even if this data is processed outside the EU. These clauses are based on the implementing decision of the EU Commission, which can be found at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2021/914/oj?eliuri=eli%3Adec_impl%3A2021%3A914%3Aoj&locale=en. 

The transfer of personal data in connection with the use of these services will only occur based on your explicit consent pursuant to Art. 49(1)(a) GDPR in conjunction with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.

This Website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.  

If visitors to this Website have consented to the use of analytical cookies, the data of the respective visitor collected by these cookies (including the IP address) will be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and stored there. Within the member states of the European Union or other states that are contracting parties of the Agreement on the European Economic Area, Google already truncates IP addresses, i.e., anonymizes them. Only in exceptional cases is the full IP address transmitted to a Google server in the USA and anonymized there. Google uses this information to evaluate website usage and generate reports on website activity. 

If the visitor has consented to the use of marketing cookies, Google can use the information generated to provide additional services related to website and Internet usage. PI leverages advanced remarketing and advertising reporting features within Google Analytics to use insights about website usage across the linked Google Ads and YouTube accounts for personalized advertising measures. Google may also send this information to third parties where legally required or if third parties process the data on behalf of Google. Under no circumstances will Google merge the transmitted IP address with other Google data. 

The use of this service is based on the visitor’s consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. This consent can be revoked at any time with future effect. 

The transfer of data from this Website to Google Analytics and related Google services can be prevented by only enabling technically necessary cookies in the cookie settings or by downloading and installing the Google browser add-on for deactivating Google Analytics. 

Further information can be found in Google’s Privacy Policy.

This Website uses functionalities of Microsoft Advertising, a marketing platform provided by Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA. 

Microsoft places a cookie on the respective visitor’s device if this person was redirected to this Website via a Microsoft Bing ad. This allows both Microsoft and PI to determine that the respective person clicked an advertisement and was subsequently redirected to this Website. However, PI only receives information about the aggregate number of visitors who clicked on a Bing ad. Microsoft collects, processes, and uses cookie data to create pseudonymized user profiles. These usage profiles are used to analyze the behavior of website visitors and to display personalized advertisements. No personal data of the respective visitor is processed. 

The use of this service is based on the visitor’s consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. This consent can be revoked at any time with future effect. 

The transfer of data from the Website to Microsoft can be prevented by only accepting technically necessary cookies in the cookie settings or by disabling the Personalized advertising in the browser setting in the Microsoft browser.

This Website uses functionalities of Quantcast Advertise, 795 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA.  

If visitors to this Website have consented to the use of marketing cookies, Quantcast may set cookies to identify them and display interest-based advertisements related to content that the visitor has previously accessed on websites using Quantcast technology. Personal data such as addresses, names, and IP addresses are truncated and made pseudonymous. 

Quantcast also processes data in the USA, among other locations. Quantcast uses so-called standard contract clauses (in accordance with Art. 46 (2) and (3) GDPR) as the legal basis of data processing for recipients based in third countries or for data transfer to third countries. Standard contract clauses should ensure that the protection of personal data also meets European data protection standards, even when it is transferred to third countries (e.g., USA) and saved there. Through these clauses, Quantcast undertakes to comply with the European level of data protection when processing personal data, even if the data is stored and processed in the USA. 

The use of this service is based on the visitor’s consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. This consent can be revoked at any time with future effect. 

Further information on Quantcast’s retargeting technology can be found in the company’s privacy policy at https://www.quantcast.com/privacy/. 

Data transfer to Quantcast can be prevented by objecting to the use of marketing cookies in the cookie settings or by opting out at https://www.quantcast.com/privacy-choices/.

This Website uses Hotjar, a web analytics service provided by Hotjar Ltd., Dragonara Business Centre, 5th Floor, Dragonara Road, Paceville St Julian’s STJ 3141, Malta. 

If visitors to this Website have consented to the use of analytical cookies, the information collected about them through these cookies is processed by Hotjar to better understand their needs and optimize the offers on this Website. Hotjar’s technology gives those responsible at PI a better understanding of the visitor experience (e.g., how much time visitors spend on which pages, which links they click, and what they like and dislike.) This information helps PI to tailor its offerings more effectively to visitor feedback. Hotjar uses cookies and other technologies to collect information about visitor behavior and their end devices, in particular the IP address of devices (recorded and stored in anonymized form), screen size, device type (Unique Device Identifiers), browser used, location (country only), and preferred language. Hotjar stores this information in a pseudonymous visitor profile. Neither Hotjar nor PI will use this information to identify individual visitors or to merge it with other data on individual visitors. 

The use of this service is based on the visitor’s consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. This consent can be revoked at any time with future effect. 

The transfer of data from this Website to Hotjar can be prevented by only accepting technically necessary cookies in the cookie settings or by activating Hotjar’s do-not-track setting in the Internet browser. 

Further information can be found in Hotjar’s Privacy Policy.

This Website uses ClickDimensions, a web analytics service provided by ClickDimensions LLC., 5901 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, NE, Suite B500, Atlanta, GA 30328, USA. 

If visitors to this Website have consented to the use of marketing cookies, ClickDimensions links visitor data in an anonymized form with IP address lists of known companies. This linkage allows visitors to this Website and their behavior on the site to be connected with specific companies. 

The use of this service is based on the visitor’s consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. This consent can be revoked at any time with future effect. 

The transfer of data from this Website to ClickDimensions can be prevented by only accepting technically necessary cookies in the cookie settings. 

Further information can be found in ClickDimensions’s Privacy Policy.

This Website uses HubSpot, a web analytics service provided by HubSpot, Inc., 25 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA. 

If visitors to this Website have consented to the use of marketing cookies, HubSpot automatically collects data using tracking technologies such as cookies and tracking pixels. These cookies or similar technologies (such as web beacons and JavaScript) are used to analyze trends, administer the website, track visitors’ navigation on the website, and gather aggregated demographic data about the visitors.  

The use of this service is based on the visitor’s consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. This consent can be revoked at any time with future effect. 

The transfer of data from this Website to HubSpot can be prevented by only accepting technically necessary cookies in the cookie settings. 

Further information can be found in HubSpot’s Privacy Policy.

This Website uses tawk.to, a live chat solution provided by tawk.to Inc., 187 East Warm Springs Rd, SB298, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA. 

If visitors to this Website have consented to the use of marketing cookies, tawk.to can use cookies to identify and analyze visitors to this Website. All data is stored on encrypted servers. In order to offer visitors the best possible customer service, the chat transcript may be stored together with the personal profile of the respective visitor. 

The use of this service is based on the visitor’s consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. This consent can be revoked at any time with future effect. 

The transfer of data from this Website to tawk.to can be prevented by only accepting technically necessary cookies in the cookie settings. 

Further information can be found in tawk.to’s Privacy Policy.

Cookies from ADITION technologies AG, Oststraße 55, 40211 Düsseldorf, Germany are used to display interest-based advertising. 

For this purpose, information on the operating system, browser version, IP address, geographic location, and the number of clicks or views is stored in pseudonymous usage profiles. 

This data is used for the following purposes: 

• Recording the number of visitors to this Website 

• Determining the order in which a visitor accesses various pages of this Website 

• Assessing which parts of this Website need to be adapted 

• Optimizing the website 

The use of this service is based on the visitor’s consent in accordance with Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. This consent can be revoked at any time with future effect.

Components of YouTube, an Internet video portal of YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA, are integrated into this Website. YouTube is a subsidiary of Google LLC. 

When visiting a subpage of this Website on which a YouTube video is integrated, the Internet browser is automatically prompted to download a corresponding YouTube component. This enables YouTube and Google to identify which specific subpage of this Website was accessed. If the visitor is logged into their Google account with YouTube (Google), this information is collected by YouTube (Google) and linked to the Google account. This occurs regardless of whether a YouTube video has been clicked on or not. To prevent YouTube (Google) from associating the visit to this Website with the visitor’s own Google account, the visitor must log out of Google before accessing this Website. 

If visitors to this Website have consented to the use of marketing cookies, Google can use the generated usage information to deliver additional services related to the use of the website and Internet. PI uses the advanced remarketing and advertising reporting features in Google Analytics to leverage usage data from this Website in PI’s linked Google Ads and YouTube accounts for personalized advertising measures. Google may also send this information to third parties where legally required or if third parties process the data on behalf of Google. Under no circumstances will Google associate the respective visitor’s IP address with other data stored by Google. The transfer of data from this Website to Google Analytics and the associated Google services can be prevented by only accepting technically necessary cookies in the cookie settings or by downloading and installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. 

Further information can be found in the YouTube (Google) Privacy Policy.

PI uses the chatbot provided by LoyJoy GmbH, Kapuzinerstr. 20, 48149 Münster, Germany, to enhance its offering and provide various services, e.g., service chats, product consultations, initial contact, and marketing campaigns such as competitions. 

The chatbot processes the following data: 

Browser used and device type 

Visitor interactions, which may include personal data such as messages entered, name and address, contact details such as email address or telephone number, service chat inquiries, product consultations, participation in competitions, and registrations. 

Purpose of processing: 

The data collected by PI is used to enable the company to provide and improve its services and, following aggregation and anonymization, to conduct performance and success measurements. 

Legal basis for processing: 

Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR): Processing is based on PI’s legitimate interest in effective customer communication, support provision, and continuous improvement of its services. 

Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR): Where Website visitors have granted their consent, processing will be performed on this basis. 

Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR): When processing is necessary for the performance of a contract or pre-contractual measures. 

Retention periods: Live chats: Data is retained for seven days; interactions with the chatbot: Data is retained for 30 days. 

Cookies and local storage: 

PI uses optional local storage technologies (e.g., local storage) on end devices to store the chat content for up to 14 days. This enables users to continue the chat seamlessly. The retained data can be deleted at any time via the browser settings. 

Transfer to third parties: 

Personal data may be transferred to data processors who assist PI in service provision. These data processors are contractually bound to uphold data protection standards in accordance with the GDPR. 

Use of Cloudflare: 

As part of chatbot operations, PI uses the services of Cloudflare (Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA). Cloudflare provides protective functions for the web application (web application firewall). Data transmitted between the respective visitor’s browser and the chatbot server travels via Cloudflare’s infrastructure and is analyzed there to protect against attacks. 

Transfer of data to third countries: 

Cloudflare operates servers within the European Union so that personal data is generally processed within the EU. However, personal data may be transferred to the USA in individual cases, such as when visitors from these regions access the PI chatbot. In such cases, Cloudflare ensures an adequate level of data protection pursuant to Art. 45 GDPR though certification under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF). 

Every individual has the right, for reasons arising from their particular situation, to object at any time to the processing of their personal data performed on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. 

Automated decision-making and profiling: 

Neither automated decision-making nor profiling pursuant to Art. 22 GDPR is performed.