Ombudsman and Whistleblower System
The external ombudsman that Siltronic AG has appointed and the whistleblower system “Integrity Line” are secure reporting channels for all violations of the group-wide compliance rules.
Siltronic AG and its subsidiaries are strongly opposed to all forms of corruption, fraud, other forms of economic crime and any other kind of legal infringement. The appointment of an external ombudsman and the implementation of Integrity Line are integral parts of the compliance management system with which Siltronic strives to prevent, detect and sanction legal violations in the company context.
The reporting channels are available to employees, business partners and other stakeholders of Siltronic, who want to disclose information about corruption, economic crimes or other serious legal violations anonymously.
The task of the ombudsman is limited to accepting leads on corruption, offenses and other law infringements of serious consequence. Integrity Line is also not a complaints office for employees or business partners.
Details - Ombudsman
For anyone who would like to speak with Dr. Auffermann in German or English in his capacity as Siltronic AG’s ombudsman, a telephone number is provided. Outside the business hours of the law office, an answering machine will record messages. Dr. Auffermann will return your call as soon as possible. The ombudsman can also be contacted by e-mail in German and English.
Information will only ever be passed on to the company if it is expressly permitted by the whistleblower to the ombudsman. If requested, the informant will remain anonymous.
For whistleblowers, contact with the ombudsman is without risk. He will not forward any information to the company without the whistleblower’s permission. Disclosure of information will be done anonymously if the whistleblower wants this.
The ombudsman’s client is Siltronic AG. He may never grant legal advice to a whistleblower which is contrary to the interests of the companies of the Siltronic Group. He may, however, explain the details of internal procedures when dealing with whistleblowing.
Details - Whistleblower System "Integrity Line"
Integrity Line is available in German, English and Chinese. Reports are submitted in encrypted form via a secure electronic mailbox and - at the whistleblower's request - anonymously.
The whistleblower system is technically managed by an independent operator. The data is stored on protected servers in Germany. The content of the reports is processed exclusively by Siltronic.
Integrity Line can be accessed from any device via the Internet.
The Rules of Procedure for the Complaints Procedure under the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and the Information on reporting compliance violations can be accessed here.