1.4 Ethics & Integrity

Integrity is the bedrock of competitive trust. In the EMS industry, we exist to protect and execute our customers' vision. This requires a formal Code of Conduct and strict policies governing how we handle the sensitive data and intellectual property (IP) entrusted to us.

Code of Conduct and Conflict Management

The Ethical Mandate

All personnel are required to adhere to the organization's formal Code of Conduct. This is not optional; it is a condition of employment.

• Core Principles: Honesty, transparency, compliance with all local and international laws.
• Whistleblower Protection: The organization maintains a confidential reporting mechanism for ethical violations. Retaliation against whistleblowers is strictly prohibited.

Conflict of Interest

Personnel must proactively disclose any situation that could compromise professional judgment.

• Mandate: Any personal financial interest, familial relationship, or outside employment connected to a supplier, customer, or competitor must be formally disclosed.
• Recusal: Individuals with a conflict of interest must recuse themselves from decision-making processes involving the conflicting party.

Customer Data Protection and IP Sanctity

Protecting customer data is our highest responsibility. A breach here is not just a security failure; it is an existential threat to the company.

The Stewardship Mandate

• Definition: Customer data includes Intellectual Property (Gerbers, Firmware, Schematics), Commercial Data (Volumes, Pricing, Launch Dates), and Strategy.
• Policy: We treat customer data with higher security standards than our own internal data.
• Segregation: Customer data must be logically and physically segregated. Teams working on Competitor A must not have access to data from Competitor B (Chinese Wall protocol).

Data Handling Protocol

• Need-to-Know: Access to customer technical files is granted strictly on a need-to-know basis. General access to the engineering drive is prohibited.
• Encryption & Transfer: Customer data must never be transferred via unapproved channels (personal email, public cloud storage, chat apps). Only the secure, encrypted MES/PLM portals may be used.
• No "Reference" Reuse: It is strictly prohibited to use one customer's design (e.g., a specific layout block or BOM choice) as a "reference" or "shortcut" for another customer's project.

Supplier and Supply Chain Ethics

The integrity of the supply chain is critical for preventing fraud and ensuring reliable delivery.

Zero Tolerance for Corruption

• Prohibition: Offering, soliciting, or accepting bribes, kickbacks, or gifts to influence purchasing decisions is strictly prohibited.
• Fair Dealing: Sourcing decisions must be based on objective metrics (PPM, OTD, TCO), not personal relationships.

IP Security with Suppliers

• Sanitization: When sending data to suppliers for quoting or fabrication, share only the minimum necessary. (e.g., Send only the PCB Gerber layer required for the stencil, not the full schematic).
• NDA Mandate: No technical data package may be released to a supplier without a fully executed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) on file.

Final Checklist