Privacy statement

Last updated: 24 September 2026

VDS Automation (“VDS”, “we”) attaches great importance to handling personal data carefully. In this statement we explain which data we collect, why, how long we keep it and what rights you have.

Data controller

VDS Automation
Lange Marktstraat 1, 8911 AD Leeuwarden
KVK: 88154378 · VAT: NL864520724B01
info@vds-automation.nl · +31 58 799 2017

Which data do we process?

Via contact forms and the Smart Factory Check

Via website visits

When you apply for a job

Applications arrive in our own applicant tracking system, not in a mailbox. Every application is assessed by a person; no automated decision-making takes place. Your CV is stored encrypted in a Microsoft data centre in Western Europe and is only seen by the people involved in the procedure. To transfer the details from your CV into our applicant tracking system, we have it read by Claude, an AI model from Anthropic, via Microsoft Foundry, the AI platform of Microsoft Azure. Anthropic acts as a processor for this. Claude is not available in a version that runs only within the EU, so this processing may take place outside the EU; the transfer is covered by the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses. A person checks everything the model reads, and the model makes no decisions about your application. Your application travels through our website, which runs on Vercel, to that system; its content is not stored anywhere along the way. To prevent misuse of the form, the website briefly counts how often it is submitted from your IP address. This happens only in the server’s working memory, not in a database or log file.

Cookies and tracking

We use a limited number of cookies. The analytics and marketing cookies listed below load only after you have given consent for them in the cookie banner. We also use services that work without cookies; these are described separately further down.

You can withdraw your consent at any time via the cookie settings at the bottom of every page.

Cookieless statistics

Vercel Web Analytics and Speed Insights measure visitor numbers and loading times. They place no cookies and do not follow you across days, and therefore run on every page — including when you allow only essential cookies.

Plausible Analytics also runs on every page, showing us which pages are visited, through which source, and how long and how far down a page is viewed. Plausible places no cookies and reads nothing from your device, and creates no lasting identifier: to count a visit, your IP address and browser characteristics are turned into a code using a salt that changes daily and is then deleted, so today’s visit cannot be linked to yesterday’s. The IP address itself is not retained. Besides the page visited, Plausible records clicks on links to other websites, file downloads and the fact that a form was submitted — not what you entered in it. We also count a few events of our own: the choice you make in the cookie banner, clicks on links to the Smart Factory Check, how far you get in that check (the question number, not your answers), and the successful submission of the contact form, the Quick Scan, the Smart Factory Check or a job application. For these we store only the page language and a short label, such as the cookie option chosen or where the clicked link was; never your name, email address or anything else you entered. Processing takes place within the EU. The script and the measurement data run through our own domain (/vds/) rather than directly past plausible.io. This service is therefore also absent from the cookie banner; the basis is our legitimate interest in knowing how our site is used.

Company recognition

Leadinfo runs on every page. The service looks up which organisation belongs to the IP address of your visit, so that we can see which companies are showing interest. We see the company name and the pages viewed — not the names of individual visitors. We run Leadinfo in cookieless mode: nothing is stored on or read from your device, which is why this service is not in the cookie banner. The basis is our legitimate interest in knowing which companies visit our site. If you wish to object, email info@vds-automation.nl and we will have your visits removed from Leadinfo.

Purpose of the processing

Legal bases

We process personal data on the basis of: consent (cookies), performance of a contract (customer contact), legitimate interest (analysis, company recognition and marketing optimisation) and legal obligation (record keeping). We process job applications to assess whether to enter into an employment contract with you and on the basis of our legitimate interest in choosing a suitable candidate; keeping them longer after the procedure only happens with your consent.

Retention periods

Who do we share data with?

We share data only with processors that help us deliver our service, on the basis of a data processing agreement. These include:

Your rights

Email your request to info@vds-automation.nl. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens).

Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, unauthorised access or misuse. Connections to this website are encrypted using HTTPS.

Changes

We may update this privacy statement. The most recent version can always be found on this page.