Privacy Policy

1. User Comments

When you choose to leave a comment on our site, we collect the information you enter into the comments form. To protect our site and users from spam, we also automatically collect the IP address of the device you used and your web browser’s user agent string.

2. Uploaded Media

Our website may allow you to upload images. For your privacy and security, please be aware that you should avoid uploading images that contain embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Other visitors to the website can potentially download images you upload and extract any location data stored within them.

3. Use of Cookies

To enhance your experience on our site, we use cookies—small text files stored on your device. Our use of cookies is designed for your convenience and to support site functionality.

Commenting: If you leave a comment, you may opt-in to saving your name, email address, and company website in cookies. This is for your convenience so you do not have to re-enter these details if you leave another comment later. These cookies will remain on your device for one year.

Login Pages: When you visit our login page, we set a temporary cookie to check if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

Account Login: If you log in to a customer portal or account section, we will set several cookies to save your login information and your screen display preferences. Login cookies are retained for two days, and screen option cookies for one year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. Logging out of your account will remove the login cookies.

Content Editing: If you edit or publish content (e.g., in a client story or forum), an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the content you edited. It expires after 1 day.

4. Embedded Content from Other Websites

Content on our site, such as technical demonstration videos or product tutorials, may include embedded elements (e.g., videos from YouTube, images from photo-hosting sites, technical diagrams, etc.). This embedded content behaves exactly as if you had visited the other website.

These third-party websites may: Collect data about you; Use cookies; Employ additional third-party tracking; Monitor your interaction with the embedded content, especially if you have an account with that website and are logged in.

We do not control the data collection practices of these third-party sites. Your interaction with embedded content is governed by the privacy policy of the website providing it.

5. Data Retention Period

We retain your data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

Customer Account Data: For users who register on our website (e.g., to access product specifications, download whitepapers, or request quotes), we store the personal information provided in their user profile indefinitely, or until the user requests its deletion. This allows us to maintain ongoing customer support, service histories, and facilitate future inquiries. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information (except their username) at any time. Website administrators can also see and edit this information to provide support.

Comments & Correspondence: If you leave a comment or engage in contact forms, the content and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This allows us to recognize and automatically approve any follow-up interactions instead of holding them for moderation, ensuring you receive timely responses.

Transaction Data: For customers who place orders, we will maintain your order information, including personal data associated with the transaction (e.g., name, email, business address), for a period of seven (7) years from the date of the transaction. This retention period is necessary to comply with U.S. accounting, tax, and legal audit obligations.

Analytics Data: Non-personally identifiable analytics data is retained for a period of twenty-six (26) months to allow for year-over-year performance analysis.

6. Your Data Rights and Choices

You have significant rights over your personal information. If you have an account on our site, have left comments, or have made a purchase, you can request to:

Access: Receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you.

Correct: Update or amend any inaccurate personal data we hold.

Delete: Request the erasure of your personal data, subject to certain legal exceptions.

Object: Opt-out of certain uses of your data, such as direct marketing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided at the end of this policy. We will respond to all legitimate requests within a reasonable timeframe, not exceeding 30 days.

Please note that we may need to retain certain information for specific purposes when we have a legal obligation or compelling business need to do so (such as maintaining order records for tax purposes, as outlined in Section 5).

7. Where Your Data is Sent

We utilize a limited number of trusted third-party service providers to operate our website and business. Any data shared with these partners is done so under strict contractual agreements that guarantee its protection and limit its use to the services they provide us.

Spam Detection: Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service (such as Akismet).

Analytics & Marketing: We use services like Google Analytics to understand how visitors navigate our site and interact with our content. This data is aggregated and anonymized where possible.

Payment Processing: All payment transactions are processed through a PCI-DSS compliant payment gateway. Your full payment card details are never stored on our servers.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Data you provide through contact forms or quote requests may be stored in our secure CRM platform to manage our sales and customer support processes.

8. Information We Collect and How We Use It

While you visit our site, we track:

Products & Content You’ve Viewed: We use this to, for example, show you recently viewed laser systems or materials, and to recommend relevant content (e.g., a whitepaper on a specific welding technique).

Location, IP Address, and Browser Type: We use this for purposes like regional analytics (e.g., identifying interest from a specific industrial sector in the Midwest) and website security.

Information You Provide Directly: When you request a quote, schedule a demo, or contact us, we ask for information such as your: Name, Company Name, Professional Email Address, Phone Number, Shipping Address (for quote accuracy), Application Details.

We use this information to: Provide you with an accurate quote for industrial equipment; Schedule and perform product demonstrations; Respond to your technical support and service requests; Process transactions and communicate with you about orders; Comply with legal obligations, such as export controls and tax laws.

With your explicit consent, send you marketing communications about new products, software updates, and industry events.

We use cookies to keep track of your session and preferences as you browse our site. When you make a purchase, your payment information is processed directly by our secure payment gateway and is not stored by us.

9. Data Access Within Our Organization

Access to your personal information within our company is strictly limited on a need-to-know basis. Only authorized personnel who require the information to perform their job functions are granted access. This includes:

Sales Representatives: Access your contact information and inquiry details to provide quotes, schedule product demonstrations, and discuss your application needs.

Customer Support & Service Technicians: Access your contact information, machine serial numbers, and service history to provide technical support, maintenance services, and warranty support.

Shipping and Logistics Personnel: Access your name, company address, and order details to arrange for shipment, delivery, and installation of equipment.

Administrative and Accounting Personnel: Access your transaction data (e.g., name, company, billing address) to process invoices, manage payments, and comply with financial reporting and tax obligations.

All team members are bound by strict confidentiality agreements and are trained on our data protection and privacy policies.

10. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We only share your information with trusted third-party service providers under strict contractual terms that guarantee the security and confidential handling of your data. These partners assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, and serving you. We share data with the following types of providers for clear, limited purposes:

Payment Processors: To securely process financial transactions (see Section 11 for details).

Shipping and Freight Carriers: We share your name, company address, and phone number with major freight carriers to deliver equipment and parts to your facility.

Cloud Storage & IT Infrastructure Providers: Your data is stored on secure servers provided by leading US-based providers for data hosting and backup.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software: We use industry-standard CRM platforms to manage customer interactions, sales pipelines, and support tickets. Data shared is limited to contact details and interaction history.

Email and Marketing Service Providers: If you opt-in to marketing communications, we may share your email address and name with services like Mailchimp to manage our newsletters.

Analytics Providers: We share anonymized, aggregated website usage data with services like Google Analytics to understand how our site is used and improve user experience.

11. Payment Processing

We utilize industry-leading, PCI-DSS compliant payment gateways to ensure your financial data is handled with the highest standards of security.

For online transactions: When processing payments, certain information required to process or support the payment is passed to the respective service, including your name, billing address, purchase total, and payment instrument details (e.g., credit card number). Please refer to their privacy policies for more information:

For major equipment purchases: For large-value transactions, we often process payments via direct wire transfer. In these cases, your banking information is handled directly by our financial institution and yours, and is not stored on our web servers.

We do not store or have direct access to your complete credit card details. All payment transactions are encrypted and managed by the secure infrastructure of our payment partners.