Code of Conduct of the BRÜCKNER Group of Companies

*Note: For better readability, only the masculine form is used in the following text when describing persons. Of course, persons of any gender are equally included.

We are a value-oriented family business and look back on a long tradition that has shaped and inspired us over the years. We can only meet the challenges of the future if we follow our values and at the same time constantly renew ourselves.

Our Code of Conduct sets out the principles of responsible and lawful conduct that we expect our employees, suppliers and business partners to observe. The Code of Conduct is binding for all BRÜCKNER employees. Violations of the code will not be tolerated and may result in the loss of the job or in consequences under criminal law. The Code of Conduct is published on our website for this purpose. In case of doubt, the management is always available as contact person for customers, suppliers and employees.


COMPLIANCE WITH LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

We are committed to complying with legal requirements. We reject bribery and corruption. As a global company, we comply with all legal requirements in the countries where we do business, as well as with international obligations. We also comply with export or other trade restrictions imposed by some countries, including the United Nations. To combat organized crime and the financing of terrorism, we are committed to taking the necessary measures to conduct business only with legally compliant business partners.


FAMILY BUSINESS

Since 1949, our success has been based on the direct responsiveness and responsibility of the owners, who run the company in close and trusting cooperation with employees, suppliers, representatives and customers worldwide. This allows for quick decisions and flat hierarchies. We value the security of a family-owned company that relies on satisfied customers and committed employees as a decisive factor for long-term success.


SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Our top priority is to uphold our values such as fairness internally and externally, respect for culture and origin, flexibility, openness and credibility. To this end, we support social and cultural institutions and maintain a balanced entrepreneurial approach in harmony with the needs of society.


EMPLOYEES

We strive for a trusting and cooperative collaboration as well as the long-term retention of highly qualified and motivated personnel. We rely on the performance, creativity and personal responsibility of each individual and consciously involve our employees in decision-making and innovation processes. The establishment of a safe workplace environment for all employees is a matter of course for us. Occupational safety is achieved through the role model function and the willingness of our employees to take responsibility.


LEARNING ORGANIZATION

The continuous transfer of knowledge between young and experienced employees as well as further training and qualification are aimed at the constant improvement of our products and structures. The high-quality training of young people in-house - both commercial and technical - complemented by the technological expertise of our employees - stand for the highest efficiency and best quality of our lines and services.


SUSTAINABILITY & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

We are committed to the world as a whole with regard to the environment and development for present and future generations, and we implement this through sustainable management, a reduction in resource consumption and energy-efficient lines. To this end, continuous efforts and investments are an absolute necessity. We act in accordance with the applicable legal standards, our goal is to minimize pollution and continuously improve environmental protection.


CUSTOMER ORIENTATION & INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS

Our thoughts and actions are focused on the needs, requirements and wishes of our customers. Maximum customer orientation is achieved through suitable structures and processes and the use of appropriate technological and individual solutions in product and process engineering. The aim of our innovations is to focus on the long-term success of our customers. This includes intelligent and reliable products as well as comprehensive training and consulting for our customers on site or in our Technology Center in Leonberg. We therefore invest a significant part of our economic success in an efficient and learning organization as well as customer-specific product development.


SUPPLY CHAIN

We encourage our suppliers and all business partners to comply with this Code or to apply equivalent codes of conduct. We also encourage them to enforce the contents of this Code in their supply chains. We reserve the right to check our suppliers' compliance, e.g. in the form of questionnaires, audits and assessments. If there are doubts regarding the compliance, the supplier is requested to take appropriate measures and to report the matter to his responsible contact at BRÜCKNER.


FAIR COMPETITION

We are committed to fair conduct towards customers, competitors, authorities and employees. We accept free competition and face the resulting challenges in a fair and open manner. We strictly reject unfair and anti-competitive market influences, in particular concerted practices aimed at impairing free competition.


PROTECTION OF COMPANY PROPERTY & PROTECTION OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

The company's property and assets, such as know-how, patents, trademarks, real estate and work equipment, represent a value created by our employees through decades of hard work and form the basis of our business activities. To ensure our business success and the sustainable development of the company, all employees are committed to safeguarding and protecting the company's property and assets. We also oblige our business partners to maintain confidentiality when we disclose business secrets to them. Trade secrets are the result of our investments, especially research and development, and must be marked accordingly. Documents and (digital) data carriers containing business secrets must be stored in such a way that they are not accessible to unauthorized persons. In addition, we protect our employees' data from unauthorized access and handle them with care in accordance with the applicable rules.