Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how SWS Consulting Shenyang CO., Ltd. collects, uses, stores and protects personal data when you visit our website (www.sws-c.com), interact with us via LinkedIn advertising, or submit information through our LinkedIn Lead Generation Forms. This policy is compliant with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Data Controller

Company: SWS Consulting Shenyang CO., Ltd.

Website: www.sws-c.com

Contact Email: info@sws-c.com

Applies to: Website visitors, LinkedIn Ad contacts, and Lead Gen Form submitters

1. What Data We Collect

1.1 Website Visitors (www.sws-c.com)

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect the following technical data:

IP address (anonymised where possible)
Browser type and version
Pages visited and time spent on each page
Referring website or search engine
Date and time of visit

This data is collected through standard server logs and/or analytics tools such as Google Analytics. It does not directly identify you as an individual.

1.2 Contact Form / Direct Email

If you contact us via email or any contact form on our website, we collect:

Your name
Your email address
Your company name (if provided)
The content of your message

1.3 LinkedIn Lead Generation Forms

When you submit a LinkedIn Lead Gen Form as part of our advertising campaigns, we collect the following data that LinkedIn auto-fills from your profile or that you enter manually:

First and last name
Business email address
Company name
Job title
Any answers to custom qualifying questions (e.g. 'Do you have active tooling projects in Asia?')

This data is collected via LinkedIn's platform and transferred to SWS Consulting in accordance with LinkedIn's own Privacy Policy available at www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy.

2. Why We Collect Your Data (Purpose & Legal Basis)

2.1 Website Visit Data

Purpose: To improve website performance, understand traffic sources, and ensure the security of our website.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR — Legitimate interests of SWS Consulting in operating a functional and secure website.

2.2 Contact Form / Direct Email

Purpose: To respond to your enquiry and provide information about our services.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR — Processing necessary for pre-contractual measures at your request.

2.3 LinkedIn Lead Generation Forms

Purpose: To contact you regarding our metal stamping consulting services, including tool tracking, supplier visits, project management and home line commissioning support in Asia.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR — Consent given by voluntarily submitting the Lead Gen Form. Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR — Pre-contractual measures at your request.

3. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

3.1 What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They help the website function correctly and allow us to understand how visitors use our site.

3.2 Essential Cookies

These are required for the website to function and cannot be disabled. They include session cookies that keep you logged in or remember your preferences during a visit.

3.3 Analytics Cookies (Google Analytics — _ga)

We use Google Analytics to track page views and understand user behaviour anonymously. This helps us improve the content and structure of our website. This cookie can be disabled via our cookie consent banner or your browser settings.

3.4 LinkedIn Insight Tag

We use the LinkedIn Insight Tag to track conversions from our LinkedIn advertising campaigns and to build retargeting audiences. This enables us to measure the effectiveness of our ads. This cookie can be disabled via our cookie consent banner or your LinkedIn account settings.

You can manage or disable non-essential cookies at any time via your browser settings or our cookie consent banner. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of parts of this website.

4. Data Sharing & Third Parties

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data to any third party. We may share data with the following third parties only where strictly necessary:

LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company — as the platform through which our Lead Gen Forms operate. LinkedIn acts as a data processor on our behalf and is subject to its own privacy policy.
Google LLC — if Google Analytics is enabled on our website, anonymised usage data is processed by Google in accordance with their privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy.
Email service providers — solely to send replies to your direct enquiries. No data is shared for marketing or list-building purposes.
Legal authorities — only if required by applicable law, regulation, or a valid court order.

All third-party providers used by SWS Consulting are required to handle personal data in accordance with GDPR. Where data is transferred outside the EU/EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).

5. How Long We Keep Your Data

We only keep your personal data for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected. The following retention periods apply:

Website analytics data — up to 26 months (anonymised after 14 months).
Contact form / email enquiries — 24 months after last contact, unless an ongoing business relationship is established.
LinkedIn Lead Gen Form data — 12 months after first contact, unless a business relationship is established.
Active business client data — as required by applicable law, typically 7–10 years for accounting and tax records.

You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us at info@sws-c.com.

6. Your Rights under GDPR

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the following rights regarding your personal data. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@sws-c.com. We will respond within 30 days.

Right to Access — You can request a copy of all personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification — You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to Erasure — You can request deletion of your data (the 'right to be forgotten').
Right to Restrict Processing — You can ask us to limit how we process your data.
Right to Data Portability — You can receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to Object — You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
Right to Withdraw Consent — You may withdraw consent at any time where processing is consent-based. This does not affect the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of the above rights, please contact: info@sws-c.com

7. Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, destruction or alteration. Our measures include:

Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/SSL) on our website
Access controls limiting who within SWS Consulting can view personal data
Regular review of stored data and deletion of data no longer needed
Use of secure, reputable third-party platforms (LinkedIn, Google) with their own security certifications

Please be aware that no method of internet transmission is 100% secure. If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately at info@sws-c.com.

8. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are directed exclusively at business professionals and are not intended for individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal data to us, please contact us at info@sws-c.com and we will delete it promptly.

9. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites including LinkedIn, partner organisations, or industry bodies. This Privacy Policy applies only to www.sws-c.com and does not cover any third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external websites you visit, as we have no control over their content or data practices.

10. Right to Lodge a Complaint

If you believe we have not handled your personal data correctly, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. Since our services and advertising campaigns target Germany and the EU, the relevant authority is:

Authority: The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI)

Website: www.bfdi.bund.de

Applicable to: EU residents — other EU member states have their own national supervisory authorities

We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concern directly before you contact a supervisory authority. Please reach out to us first at info@sws-c.com.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. The most current version will always be available at www.sws-c.com/privacy. The 'Valid from' date at the top of this document indicates when it was last revised. For significant changes, we will provide a more prominent notice on our website.