Cookie policy

1. What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small data packet exchanged between computer programs and stored on your end device (such as your desktop computer, notebook or smartphone) when you visit a website. Cookies contain a so-called cookie ID, which acts as a unique identifier for each specific cookie. This ID is comprised of a sequence of characters that can be used to link websites and servers to the specific Internet browser in which the cookie is stored. This enables the websites and servers visited to distinguish the individual user’s browser from other browsers that contain different cookies. A specific Internet browser can be recognised and identified via the unique cookie ID.

2. What are the different types of cookies?

• First-party cookies
  Cookies installed on your device by the companies that operate the sites you visit.

• Third-party cookies
  Cookies saved on your device via the sites you visit. Companies install these cookies for the purpose of website analysis and to provide the operator with information such as the number of visitors to a particular Internet page.

• Persistent cookies
  These cookies remain on your device when you close your Internet browser, and they are reactivated each time you visit the website that originally generated this type of cookie.

• Session cookies
  These cookies are not permanently stored on your device. They are used to enhance your browsing experience on a website, for example by enabling you to switch between websites without needing to log back in. Closing your Internet browser deletes all session cookies from your computer.

• Flash cookies
  These cookies are installed by websites that feature multimedia content; this requires Adobe Flash to be displayed. This speeds up the rate at which you can download content and save information.

3. What are the purposes of cookies?

The information generated by cookies is required to

• Correctly display the contents of websites
• Optimise the contents of websites and advertising displayed on them
• Guarantee the long-term functionality of IT systems and website technology, and
• Provide the relevant authorities with the information required for prosecution in the event of a cyber attack.

In addition to statistical analyses, this data and information is evaluated to improve data protection and data security in our company in order to ensure that the personal data we process is protected in the most effective way.

4. For which purposes does Festo use cookies?

Festo uses cookies in different ways and for different purposes, such as:

• To make the Festo website pages and the applications that you use available
• To authenticate and identify you when you use our websites and applications so that we can provide you with the services you have requested
• To provide additional protection in our online customer support and online ordering processes
• To track information that you have provided, e.g. holding items in your basket when you are in our online shop)
• To save your settings or the point at which you stopped using a website or application from Festo
• To measure your use of websites and applications from Festo so that we can improve them and tailor our websites and online services to your likely interests
• To understand your likely interests so that we can provide you with more relevant content on the Festo website

Festo uses cookies with the following functions:

• Functional cookies
  There are two types of functional cookies:
  - Cookies that guarantee the basic functionality of the website that is visited
  - Cookies that make the site easier to use
  The latter type of cookie enables the portal to ‘remember’ any entries or settings (e.g. login, language, font size and other display preferences) you have configured over a specific period of time so that you do not need to configure them each time you visit and navigate the website.

• Cookies for website performance analysis
  Cookies that help us to improve our website provide aggregated statistics such as the total number of visitors to a website and the areas of a website which are viewed most frequently by users. These types of cookies may be installed by external analysis service providers working on our behalf.

• Interest-based and targeted cookies
  To enable us to provide you with the most relevant information on our products and services, we use cookies to identify which content you have viewed on our website, to target a small number of advertising banners displayed in selected sections of our website to a specific product or additional service that the visitor may be interested in, and to monitor the general effectiveness of advertising on our website.

How can you manage cookies?

You can manage and/or delete cookies if you prefer.

To find out how, visit: http://www.aboutcookies.org/ (in English).

You can delete cookies that have been saved to your computer, and most browsers can be configured to prevent cookies from being stored. However, you may then have to configure certain settings manually each time you visit a site and accept that some functions may be restricted. Disabling all cookies may mean that some of the basic features on our website can no longer be used.

You can decide which types of cookies you want to allow on the Festo website by clicking on the selection fields in our cookie controller .