Our Guidelines
A set of behavioural rules that apply to everyday activities are derived from our vision and our four corporate values. These include our Code of Conduct, Management Guidelines and Guidelines for Sustainability.
These are the binding guidelines for our company and provide a concrete framework for cooperation with our customers and colleagues. As an international company we embrace and are respectful of cultural diversity.
A lively corporate culture
Each individual plays an important role. All of our actions shape ATLANTIC – a lively corporate culture in which change is seen as an opportunity and in which all employees are committed to a continuous improvement process. This is the driving force behind our strong products, superior quality, excellent service and innovative technologies.
Code of Conduct
Our Code of Conduct should help us deal with any ethical and legal issues that may arise during day-to-day operations in a correct and pertinent manner. Our guidelines are not static but evolve to conform to the changing legal and economic conditions. The Code of Conduct is derived from the vision and four corporate values of ATLANTIC and they form the basic principles to which we are committed as a company.
The aim of ATLANTIC to handle all commercial operations in an ethical and legally sound manner is directly related to the way we conduct ourselves in our everyday work. In addition to our internal rules and regulations, employees are also expected to observe all laws, avoid any conflicts of interest, protect the assets of ATLANTIC and abide by the social values of the respective countries.
The reputation of ATLANTIC is essentially determined by the behaviour and action of every individual employee. Personal integrity and a strong sense of responsibility help determine what behaviour is appropriate in a given situation.
The success of ATLANTIC depends on developing and promoting the various talents and skills of our employees. Employees and applicants alike are assessed according to the principle of equal treatment. Advertisements for vacancies, as well as the appointment, payment and promotion of our employees are all effected in compliance with the relevant laws. Our aim is to offer talented and motivated employees an attractive working environment, which helps them develop and realise their potential. We respect the personal dignity, privacy and personal rights of all our employees, as well as those of our customers, service providers and suppliers.
ATLANTIC and all of its employees are jointly responsible for human and environmental protection, as well as the careful use of resources. These issues have long been enshrined in the company's corporate objectives. The continuous development of safe and healthy working conditions, as well as the development of the health, safety and environmental sectors are associated with sustainable and socially responsible business practices.
Adherence to human rights as well as fair and good working conditions are central to ATLANTIC. This means for example: ATLANTIC does not use child labour and also strictly ensures that suppliers do not use child labour. Young employees are only employed at ATLANTIC from the age of 18. Wages and social benefits are paid in full, fairly, punctually and transparently. The statutory and collectively agreed working time regulations are observed. In addition, ATLANTIC supports freedom of association within the framework of German labor legislation and adheres to the results of the applicable collective bargaining agreements.
Harassment and discrimination have no place at ATLANTIC GmbH and its suppliers. The same applies, of course, to forced labor and human trafficking.
We expect compliance with the highest ethical standards from all of our employees and everyone with whom we interact. The interests of ATLANTIC and private interests must be kept strictly apart from one another. Therefore, all employees should avoid any situation that could result in a conflict between their personal interests and the interests of ATLANTIC. When dealing with customers, suppliers, contractors and competitors, all employees must act in the best interests of ATLANTIC and rule out any kind of direct or indirect personal benefit.
We expect our suppliers, business partners and service providers to support and comply with our highest ethical standards. ATLANTIC maintains the quality and value of its innovative products and solutions for our customers in the market. We make decisions at ATLANTIC in accordance with sound economic perspectives while taking the various laws into account. We conduct ourselves properly in our relationships with our business partners and comply with the applicable laws and corresponding regulations in terms of corruption, bribery and fraud. Furthermore, we avoid any conflict of interest.
ATLANTIC and its employees are unconditionally committed to free and fair competition and we respect the laws against restraint of competition in all countries where ATLANTIC is commercially active. Prohibitions include particular agreements with competitors and concerted practices which cause an obstruction or restriction of competition. These include agreements or arrangements concerning prices, offers, terms of sale and production or sales quotas, as well as the partitioning of customers, territories, markets or production programmes. These prohibitions not only apply to formal agreements, but also to coordinated behaviour, such as informal discussions or 'gentlemen's agreements' that are intended to cause, or can cause, a restraint of competition.
All employees are responsible, both inside and outside their area of activity, for protecting the tangible and intangible assets of ATLANTIC. By tangible assets we mean all items such as buildings, properties, products, vehicles, computers, provisions, raw materials, auxiliary materials and supplies, technical equipment, tools and any form of records or documentation. Intangible assets include expertise, industrial property rights, technologies, trade secrets and other information that is valuable and important to ATLANTIC and is therefore to be protected. The IT security for stored information is of particular importance in this context. All employees are responsible for using all electronic information systems in a respectful, ethical and legally sound manner, as well as for utilising the available safeguards and procedures to protect all of the data related to ATLANTIC.
ATLANTIC consistently implements all relevant national and international data protection guidelines. The ATLANTIC management is supported by a data protection officer. The security and proper use and storage of personal and other important data of employees, customers and business partners is a top priority for ATLANTIC.
ATLANTIC stands by its obligations arising from agreements and contracts with business partners. Accordingly, ATLANTIC requires all employees whose area of responsibility includes the conclusion of agreements and contracts to carefully weigh up the resulting rights, obligations and risks before signing the contract in order to prevent any potential misunderstandings and unintended consequences.
Ethics are at the core of all actions taken by ATLANTIC, its leadership and its employees. Bribery and corruption are not used, accepted or tolerated. The same is true for blackmailing and fraud. Any member of the ATLANTIC team will immediately inform both the ATLANTIC management as well as the responsible authorities if he/she should become aware of any illegal or unethical actions. ATLANTIC works hard to ensure that the highest ethical standards are not only employed by ATLANTIC itself but also by its suppliers, subcontractors and business partners.
The provisions included in the Code of Conduct depict the fundamental elements of the corporate culture at ATLANTIC. The Guidelines for Conduct, however, cannot be used as a basis to demand a particular level of conduct from ATLANTIC or to establish contractual claims against ATLANTIC. Employees of ATLANTIC are aware that any legal violations, regardless of whether they are subject to the Code of Conduct or other ATLANTIC standards, will be punishable by claims for compensation, disciplinary warnings or termination of the employment contract. Furthermore, supervisors can be held accountable if they fail to detect such violations in their sector and it is evident that this failure is due to a lack of supervision.
Management Guidelines
Our vision and four corporate values form the basis for our conduct and actions within the company. The Management Guidelines describe the scope of action for management and all employees. A good management team consistently implements and can be measured by these guidelines. All employees of ATLANTIC can expect to be managed in accordance with these guidelines.
Individual responsibility and the willingness to continuously develop knowledge and skills; these attributes characterise employees of ATLANTIC. Mutual respect and trust are essential prerequisites for successful collaboration. Enthusiasm and efficiency are the result of a trusting relationship, on which the sustainable success of ATLANTIC and its employees is based.
The duty and responsibility of every manager is to assign tasks with clearly defined decision-making powers, while carefully considering the skills and capabilities of employees. All managers and employees are encouraged to continuously develop their knowledge and skills in order to achieve a sustainable high level of quality and efficiency.
The enthusiasm and conviction of employees to fulfil their objectives is the duty and responsibility of every manager. Managers ensure the necessary transfer of knowledge through active and open information channels, and they create a climate in which new ideas are created, evaluated and pursued, thereby encouraging all employees to use their full potential to achieve the objective. In doing so, the individual skills of employees are to be utilised and their diversity appreciated and respected.
Each manager should be a role model and set an example in terms of the principles of cooperation and leadership. A special responsibility for the development and implementation of objectives falls on the managers. They demand performance, cooperation and results and they stimulate employees through coaching, performance evaluations, trust and individual development. The managers are responsible for the success of the company and feel responsible for the individual success of their employees.
Guidelines for Sustainability
Our vision and four corporate values form the basis for our conduct and actions within the company. The Guidelines for Sustainability are derived from our vision and the four corporate values for the sustainability and environmental protection of ATLANTIC, and they form the basic principles to which we are committed as a company. The term 'sustainability' for ATLANTIC means harmonising economic, ecological and social objectives and conducting all commercial operations in an ethical and legally sound manner.
As a successful company, we make an important contribution to ensuring effective environmental protection and social balance. The balance between economy, ecology and social responsibility is an integral component of our corporate values. This helps us ensure our continued success and survival of the company for the future.
The high degree of identification of individual employees with the objectives of the company is an integral part of our future success. We therefore expect our employees to treat safety, environmental protection and quality as an integral part of their daily activities and to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity.
The safety and environmental compatibility of our products fulfils recognised scientific criteria. We fulfil the expectations of our customers with innovative products and solutions and we take the principles of sustainable and socially responsible business practices into account at the very beginning of product development.
We operate safe production facilities for the benefit of our employees, neighbours and the environment and we also develop and improve procedures to continuously increase the safety and economic efficiency of our company, thereby reducing consumption of resources and environmental pollution at the same time. Specifically, we ensure that our production facilities, machineries and processes fulfil all relevant health and safety laws and norms. The same is true for fire and explosion protection, chemicals and dangerous substances and emissions. Additionally, we train our employees regularly on health and safety topics and make sure their knowledge is up to date. In the unlikely event of an accident we manage the emergency as well as the consequences (Accident consequences) professionally and centred on the needs of the patient. ATLANTIC takes responsibility in making sure that all working places are designed in an ergonomic way.
In addition, our business processes are also geared towards sustainable economic activity. This is based on our corporate guidelines, which specify our requirements in terms of health, safety, environmental protection and social responsibility.
The services provided by suppliers and business partners with regard to sustainable and socially responsible economic activity is scrutinised by ATLANTIC during the selection phase. Fair competitive conduct and a comprehensible decision-making process in accordance with sound economic perspectives, while taking the various laws and standards into account, are the foundation for cooperation between ATLANTIC and its suppliers and/or business partners.
ATLANTIC utilises certified management systems to implement the corporate guidelines and to assign clear responsibility at all levels. The implementation of these specifications is reviewed on a regular basis to determine objectives and binding measures. This approach ensures continuous improvement is achieved.