Physical Property and Assets, Our Reputation and Our Confidential and Proprietary Information
We protect our reputation and other Clarios assets because they are the building blocks for our future.
We never settle — we are always looking for a better way. Making the best use of what we have today sets us up to win tomorrow. Our assets — property, money, information, ideas and reputation — sustain our operations and allow us to invest in innovation and continuous improvement. As good stewards, we use these assets to create exceptional customer experiences and sustainable investor value.
We safeguard Clarios assets by:
Company assets take several forms. How we protect them depends on the assets and our particular role. But in all cases, the same principle applies: Take care and use good judgment.
Information assets: Any data relating to our products, business or how we conduct our operations, regardless of how it’s created, distributed, used or stored.
Financial assets: Money and anything that can be converted into money, such as stocks, bonds and bank deposits.
Physical assets: Anything tangible the company owns that’s used to conduct our business (e.g., facilities, machinery, tools, computers, mobile phones, raw materials, vehicles, office equipment and supplies).
Intangible assets: Our reputation, ideas, inventions, intellectual property, designs, copyrights, trademarks, patents and trade secrets. These assets help us drive innovation and improvement.
The following guidance addresses some particularly important areas in which we need to take care and use good judgment.
We protect our confidential business information and intellectual property because they give us our edge in the marketplace.
We help our customers win by developing ideas and using technical know-how that others don’t have. Our confidential business information and intellectual property are vital business assets that distinguish us from competitors. We must protect them from unauthorized disclosure or misuse.
We safeguard our proprietary and confidential information by:
Examples of confidential business information include:
QUESTION: Last night I had dinner with an old high school friend who works for a local engineering firm. We were talking about how we both felt proud that our companies were focused on innovating to solve real-world problems. I mentioned to her, at a high level, some of our newest products under development, focusing on how the product will solve customer problems. After leaving the dinner, I wondered if I shared too much and potentially put the company’s ideas and property at risk.
ANSWER: You are right to be concerned. While your friend is not a direct competitor, it is still important to avoid sharing any company information that is not in the public domain. Our intellectual property, trade secrets and other confidential ideas and information are vital assets on which our competitive advantage depends. If you believe you may have inadvertently shared non-public information about the company’s products, you should contact the Ethics & Compliance Team or Law Department for guidance.
We use Clarios technology and information systems responsibly to work efficiently and achieve our business objectives.
We rely on our systems and technology to deliver for our customers every day. Laptops, mobile devices, email and the supporting infrastructure enable us to work more productively, communicate more effectively and better serve our customers. They help us access and share the information we need to innovate and continuously improve. Inappropriate use, however, can drain our resources, compromise our security and damage our brand and reputation.
We use our technology and systems safely and appropriately by:
We strive to maintain a reputation for integrity and customer-driven innovation in everything we do.
Our reputation is one of our most valuable assets. We’ve been building it for over 130 years but are always looking to the future. Each of us, in our daily actions and decisions, should feel a weight of responsibility to protect the company’s reputation. When we act with integrity and put our values into action, we continue to earn the confidence and trust of our employees, customers and business partners.
We protect our reputation by:
A 130-year history is something to be proud of. But never forget that reputation is about people’s last experience with us and their anticipation of the next one.
Our commitment to integrity means we are vigilant to prevent fraud, waste and abuse.
Fraud, waste and abuse have no place at Clarios. Our commitment to a culture of integrity and trust is the surest way to prevent these abuses, and detect and correct them if they occur.
We prevent fraud, waste and abuse by:
We keep our facilities and equipment secure and safe from harm so that we are always ready to help our customers win.
Secure facilities provide a safe, comfortable environment for our people while protecting our equipment and materials from damage, theft or industrial espionage.
We safeguard our facilities by:
