These terms and conditions relate to use of the site www.aco.co.uk

Additional terms and conditions are applicable to the use of the ACO hydraulic design software – www.hydraulicdesignsoftware.co.uk these are clearly visible when registering for that particular site.

www.aco.co.uk is run by ACO Technologies plc

ACO Technologies plc
ACO Business Park
Hitchin Road
Shefford
Bedfordshire, UK
SG17 5TE

Accuracy

We make every effort is made to ensure that the information on this site is accurate and up to date. However, ACO Technologies plc does not warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy of any information divulged and accepts no responsibility for any errors or oversights.

External Links

ACO Technologies plc is not responsible for the contents of any third party site pages or links provided within the site. Hyperlinks from the ACO site do not imply any kind of endorsement of the content of these pages.  In some instances visits to third party sites may involve third party cookies being placed on your machine.

Copyright

The following refers to all text, photos and other design elements on this website.

All material published on this website is material for which copyright is owned by ACO Technologies plc and others. No part of any material may be copied or reproduced without prior permission of ACO Technologies plc or the copyright holder. If you would like permission to copy or reproduce the material from ACO Technologies plc which is available on the Internet, please contact us at the above address.

Privacy policy

Please see our section on ‘Privacy policy’ for more details

Cookies

The website uses cookies – please see our section on ‘Cookie policy’ for more details

Passing on data

We do not disclose data to third parties.

Security

We do not use a secure transmission method for you to send us data. We have implemented security policies, rules and technical measures to protect the personal data that we have under our control from:

• Unauthorised access
• Improper use or disclosure
• Unauthorised modification

All our employees and suppliers that have access to, and are associated with the processing of personal data, are obliged to respect the confidentiality of our customer's personal data.

Rights for access to personal data

You are entitled to ask if we are keeping any personal data about you and you can also request a copy of that data. At any time you may request that we delete or correct your personal information, please contact ACO Technologies plc via email at mypersonaldata@aco.co.uk or via the address above and address correspondence to the Personal Data Controller.

Non-Acceptance of the Terms and Conditions

If you do not accept these terms and conditions in full, you do not have permission to access the contents of the website and therefore should cease using the website immediately.

This privacy policy relates to use of www.aco.co.uk
 

Your Personal Data:

What we collect

ACO Technologies will be what’s known as the ‘Controller’ of the personal data you provide to us. We only collect basic personal data about you which does not include any special types of information but can include location based information – this will normally be your place of work and is only entered by you. Information will always include your name and email.  Any other personal data stored by us will be provided by you and will only be with your consent. 

Why we process personal information

Recital 47 of the GDPR allows for the processing of personal information for our legitimate business interests in terms of direct marketing. “Legitimate Interests” means the interests of our company in conducting and managing our business to enable us to offer you the best services and applicable products, and the most appropriate and secure experience.

For example, we have an interest in making sure our marketing is relevant for you and your organisation, so we may process your information to send you marketing that is tailored to your interests in your business. We believe this processing is in your interests as well.

When we process your personal information based on legitimate interests, we make sure to consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative), and your rights under data protection laws. Our legitimate business interests do not automatically override your interests. We will not use your Personal Data for activities where our interests are overridden by the impact on you.

Processing of this data for ‘unsolicited’ marketing communications is also regulated by Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) consequently we are careful to ensure our processes conform to those requirements.

Where information has been directly requested by you, PECR is not relevant although in our communications we will always say who we are, display our telephone number and provide contact address whenever appropriate.

For corporate subscribers it may be that in the first instance what is known as a ‘soft opt-in’ will have been triggered by you through an active expression of interest in our business. We will always seek to offer clear and unambiguous options thereafter to ensure you receive only relevant information to your interest.

What are your rights?

We only use data for marketing where you have provided appropriate consent, however you are entitled to withdraw that consent at any time. 

PECR rules on consent, the soft opt-in and the right to opt-out, do not apply to electronic marketing messages sent by us to ‘corporate subscribers’. While you may receive a legitimate interest email from us based on a ‘soft opt-in’, we will always offer an easy and quick method to ‘opt out’.  

If at any point you believe the information we process on you is incorrect you can request to see this information and have it corrected or deleted within one calendar month. If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can request for us to investigate the matter.

Data Protection is taken very seriously by ACO Technologies PLC and should you have any enquiries in the first instance your first point of contact should be via email to mypersonaldata@aco.co.uk

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are processing your personal data not in accordance with the law you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

How we use your information

We would like to use your name and email address to provide you with information specific to your areas of interest, this would include things like technical updates, training, sector/role specific articles and new product updates. Ongoing use of your data for these communications will depend on your opt in preferences. 

Any information about you that we do hold is not shared with third parties and you can unsubscribe at any time via email mypersonaldata@aco.co.uk.

Storage of data

All the personal data we process is processed by our staff in the UK however for the purposes of IT hosting and maintenance this information is located on servers within the European Union and in the USA. No third parties have access to your personal data unless the law allows them to do so.

We have Data Protection processes in place to oversee the effective and secure processing of your personal data.

Data held in the USA is done so in partnership with a Processor that has successfully certified its adherence to the EU-US and/or Swiss-US Privacy Shield Framework, as administered by the U.S Privacy Shield Framework, as administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce and detailed at https://www.privacyshield.gov.

More information is available on request.

How long we keep your data

Personal data is stored for varying lengths depending on nature and purpose for which it was collected. We store personal data in line with any applicable statutory minimum periods, and then review it periodically (usually annually) to ensure it is still necessary to be retained for the purpose for which it was collected. Where there is a statutory maximum for which data can be retained, such as County Court Judgements we will delete accordingly on expiration.

For registered users that have bought product from us we are required under UK tax law to keep your basic personal data (name, address, contact details) for a minimum of 6 years after which time it will be destroyed.

This document, approved by the Directors of ACO Technologies plc, sets out the Company’s policy and approach to conducting its tax affairs and dealing with tax risk, effective for the year ending 31st December 2022.

Overview

ACO Technologies plc and its subsidiary undertakings (hereinafter collectively referred to as “ACO”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACO Severin Ahlmann Holdings GmbH incorporated in Germany.

This tax strategy document is produced in accordance with the requirements of Section 161 and Schedule 19 Finance Act 2016 to publish its UK tax strategy and approach to tax.

The tax strategy is owned by ACO’s Senior Management Team and adheres to the principles and philosophy of the parent company, with responsibility for its day-to-day implementation delegated to the CFO and other qualified accountants within the Finance Team, who have a broad understanding of tax principles and the Group’s tax strategy.

The tax strategy applies to all forms of taxes payable, including direct taxes, indirect taxes, payroll-based taxes, customs duties etc and as a responsible taxpayer, ACO is committed to paying the correct amount of tax due on time.

ACO is committed to complying with all relevant tax laws, rules, regulations, reporting and disclosure requirements, and to having a constructive, professional and transparent relationship with all relevant tax authorities, based on the concepts of integrity, collaboration and trust.

Tax Risk Management

ACO follows risk management systems as part of the internal control processes, identifying, assessing and managing risks by applying diligent professional care and judgement in order to arrive at well-reasoned conclusions as it strives to be regarded as a low-risk taxpayer.

The day-to-day management, implementation and compliance of tax affairs is provided by the Finance Team and where necessary, external tax professionals’ advice is used to help facilitate decision-making.

Responsibility for tax governance and strategy lies with the CFO, with oversight by ACO’s Senior Management Team.

Tax Planning: Our Approach

Tax risk is one of the commercial risks that ACO is exposed to. Management of tax risk aims to ensure that the Group pays and collects the correct amount of tax and complies with statutory reporting and disclosure requirements whilst meeting its business objectives.

ACO will seek to take advantage of tax incentives and reliefs, such as R&D tax claims, in accordance with the applicable legislation, where these support the commercial needs of the Group. ACO does not engage in any aggressive tax positions where the sole purpose would be to reduce tax.

Where ACO encounters uncertainty surrounding the interpretation of tax laws or unexpected complexity in relation to risk, external expert advice is sought to support the tax activities, including meeting our tax compliance requirements.

Tax Risks

ACO’s approach to tax risks follows the same principles that apply to all other business risks.

Compliance and Reporting Risk is actively managed by ensuring key personnel stay abreast of any changes in tax law through legislative updates, attendance at third-party technical seminars and by obtaining external assistance from professional firms. Segregation of duties is maintained between the preparation and review of tax computations and returns, which are then approved by the CFO to ensure accuracy of reporting. All tax-related documents must be reviewed and approved by appropriate personnel.

Risk to reputation and corporate social responsibility as well as purely financial impacts is considered as part of any decision-making process, and if doubt exists, a prudent approach is taken.

Relationships with Tax Authorities

ACO is committed to the principles of openness and transparency in its dealings with tax authorities.

ACO endeavours to:

• Interpret the law and tax legislation in a reasonable way.
• Maintain an open and collaborative professional relationship at all times with HMRC.
• Provide accurate and timely disclosures in correspondence and returns, query responses and other HMRC information requests in a timely manner.
• Where appropriate, engage in meaningful dialogue with HMRC on relevant taxation matters on a co-operative basis with honesty and respect.