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Quality Systems

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    • Quality Systems

    Consistent quality through compliance with ISO 9001 standards and on-going research and development are top priorities at Active Minerals. Located in Eatonton, GA (USA), the Active Minerals Technical Center (AMTEC) supports each production facilities’ technical needs beyond QC testing. It houses several different labs and groups that work together and independently to support AMI’s targets. In addition a new R&D lab in Houston, TX, opening later in 2021, will apply materials science and engineering to develop new products, new processes, and new applications.

    Complimenting our Technical Center is our Quality Assurance and Compliance group located in our Macon, GA (USA) office. Our Quality Group coordinates with all other AMI technical centers, plants, offices, and shipping locations to assure that proper quality procedures are always followed upholding the high standards expected by our customers and that we expect from ourselves.

    man working in a lab
    container ship passing under a bridge
    Man wearing a lab coat, conducting a quality test

    Principles of Quality

    Bolstered by the strength of an ISO 9001 registered quality system and a dynamic continuous improvement culture, each of these four simple statements embodies the meaning of quality for every employee at Active Minerals.

    I am responsible for quality
    We see personal responsibility as the cornerstone of our quality system. Each team member understands the critical nature of their role in ensuring first run capability and customer satisfaction.

    I know what our customers want
    Through effective communication and documentation by our Customer Service and Sales teams, employees understand individual customer needs and their place in meeting them.

    I ensure our customers’ requirements are met
    Our goal is customer satisfaction the first time, every time. Each of us is empowered to successfully meet our customers’ needs, instilling confidence so they order from us every time.

    I make us better at what we do
    Built upon a strong framework of continuous improvement systems and tools, the AMI culture is not one that is satisfied with standing still. Our leadership in the industrial minerals marketplace is contingent on a constant passion for better.

    Quality Assurance Processes

    AMI operates a company-wide online Quality Management System (QMS) whose foundation is ISO 9001 certification through ABS Quality Evaluations, ISO 9001 Registered. QMS has a company-wide scope including all manufacturing facilities, Sales and Customer Service offices, technical centers, and the Macon Engineering and Administration office.

    Our Corrective Action Process, a robust system for documenting internal non-conformance and customer issues, provides opportunities for continuous improvement.

    Quality Customer Service & Logistics

    Our Customer Service Teams –  located in the USA, Taipei and Shanghai – provide excellent customer service on a global basis.

    With the support of a Logistics Team of seasoned professionals coupled with Plant Operations, AMI has been a major supplier to large volume global markets such as fiberglass for several decades. Customers such as these, where consistent quality and on-time deliveries are critical, have received an uninterrupted supply despite trucking and steamship line interruptions as well as pandemics and catastrophic storms, both here and abroad. Our team has strategic partnerships in various modes of transport to optimize our supply chain services to our customers.

    Delivering to 70+ locations worldwide, AMI is recognized as a Top 100 U.S. Exporter. Capable of contracting with logistics companies directly without reliance on third party firms, AMI provides this additional economic benefit to our customers.

    container ship passing under a bridge

    AMTEC Services
    Strong Technical Support

    General Lab Services 
    The heart of Active Minerals Technical Center (AMTEC) is two large technical labs capable of testing all of AMI’s crude materials as well as the physical and chemical properties of finished products. They assist with the development of products for new market applications.

    Ceramics Lab
    The Ceramics Lab evaluates our wide range of clay deposits to assess their ceramic properties and potential use as a component in making Acti-Cast® ECS Engineered Casting System for sanitaryware. Quality verification is confirmed through basic ceramic tests (such as viscosity, casting rate and MOR) on slips, dry product and fired bodies.

    Concrete & Mortar Lab
    The Concrete Lab supports a wide range of concrete and mortar testing designed to gain approval of Acti-Gel® 208 admixture in customer formulations. The technology and equipment at AMTEC provide AMI with a top facility designed to support product sales, compare competitor products and conduct research and development. The concrete lab is configured to achieve certification from CCRL, AMRL and DOT’s across the nation, as well as perform testing specified by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) and American Concrete Institute (ACI).

    Pilot Plant
    To compliment the technical labs, AMTEC also contains a fully functional wet-process pilot plant. The Pilot Plant  that can perform all basic functions of a full-size production facility, including centrifuging, spray drying, belt filtering and calcining.

    Slurry Pipeline Lab
    Slurry and paste pipelines are economical transports for earthen materials, but they require extraordinary suspension and stable rheology. AMI’s Acti-Gel® 208 admixture can meet those needs. AMTEC has a pipeline slurry testing lab with the capability to thoroughly evaluate different material characteristics, additives and provide comparisons on multiple types of slurries through bench-top testing. In addition, larger scale dynamic testing in AMI’s Mobile Flow Loop evaluates reduced pressure gradients, flow rates and soft-settling of slurries and pastes treated with Acti-Gel® 208 admixture in a true pipeline environment.

    Exploration and Mine Development
    A cornerstone of AMI’s success is comprehensive mine planning. AMTEC’s location allows the Exploration/Geology Group to be centrally based to our current and future mining campaigns. This optimizes AMI’s ability to efficiently process and evaluate an extensive number of drill cores from multiple locations. It also allows assistance in managing various mining reserves and land properties for maximum economic benefit. One clear result has been AMI winning the highest awards in the State of Georgia – for minimizing the environmental effects of mining and returning mined lands to their former state – for each year we reclaimed land (8 of the past 10 years). The technical center is another tool AMI uses to distinguish itself from competition and help invest in all of our futures.

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    Privacy Policy 

    EFFECTIVE DATE: 03/15/2021

    WHO WE ARE 

    In this Privacy Policy, the words “our,” “us,” “we,” and “AMI” refer to Active Minerals International,LLC. AMI is the world's largest producer of gellant attapulgite and air-float kaolin mineral products. 

    We collect and use information about our web site visitors and those that interact with our products and services in order to manage your relationship with AMI and to better serve you.

    HOW WE PROCESS AND HANDLE DATA 

    The information we collect from you depends on the nature of your relationship with us or your interaction with AMI’s products, services, websites and marketing events and communications. The information we collect may include both Personal Data and Other Information, as detailed below. 

    Personal Data. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Personal Data” is information from which you could be identified, directly or indirectly, and may include contact and business information (such as name, title, email address), account information, license information, payment information, information from third parties, social media data and any other unique identifying information. 

    Other Information. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Other Information” is any information that does not independently reveal your specific identity or does not directly relate to an identifiable individual. Examples include an IP address, browser type, browser language, browsing data, device information, time and date of requests, login activity and cookies. Gathering this information helps us to ensure that our websites and other services work correctly and support our visitor and customer analysis.

    Cookies and Similar Technologies
    As further described in our Cookie Policy, cookies are small text files containing information that is sent to us from your computer or mobile device. They are unique to your account or browser. We use cookies and similar technologies (such as web beacons, device identifiers, pixels and ad tags) to recognize you and track your activity across different AMI services and devices. We use cookies to collect information about the way that visitors use AMI Sites, to support the features and functionality of those Sites, and to personalize your experience when you use them. We use pixel tags and cookies so that we can determine interest in particular topics on our Site and improve the effectiveness of our communications. 

    You can control cookies and other technologies in your browser settings. You can also disable or block the use of cookies and similar technologies that track your behavior on the websites of others for third party advertising. 

    In some instances, we may combine Other Information with Personal Data, such as deriving geographical location from your IP address and combining website browsing data about your usage of the AMI services with your name. If we combine Other Information with Personal Data, we will treat the combined information as Personal Data. 

    You are not required to share the Personal Data that we request. However, if you choose not to share such information, in some cases we might not be able to provide you with the AMI services, allow you to access certain specialized features of the AMI services or be able to effectively respond to any queries you may have. 

    AMI will never collect more of your Personal Data than is necessary for the intended purpose of processing that information. Some of the uses of Personal Data listed in sections 2, 3 and 4 may not be mandatory and can be controlled by you. 

    Please see the YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS section below to learn more about how you can control the information AMI processes about you.

    SECTION 3: AMI WEBSITE(S) (ACTIVEMINERALS.COM, ACTI-GEL.COM, ACTI-PLEX.COM)

    AMI maintains control of the data provided to, collected by or for, or processed in connection to the AMI Sites, as defined in the Terms. We gather information about visitors to both our password-protected websites and our various publicly accessible websites, including the AMI.com website, various AMI blogs, event pages and other websites where this Privacy Policy is posted. 

    A. What information we collect through our Sites and how we collect it 

    a. Information you provide to us 

    We collect information about you through our websites, online forms, online chat and email. 

    When you communicate with AMI, we will store all communications we receive unless otherwise requested by you. If you are submitting information on behalf of another individual, you are responsible for obtaining appropriate consent, including consent to share and transfer any Personal Data across borders. 

    b. Information we collect automatically 

    Log data. As with most internet technology services, our servers automatically collect information when you access or use our Sites and record it in log files. This log may include IP address, usage data, browser type, the date and time the Site were accessed, and language preferences cookies (if enabled). 

    Device Information. AMI collects data about devices accessing the Sites, which may include the type of device, device settings, application IDs, and unique identifiers. Whether we collect any or all of this information will depend on the type of device used and how it has been configured by you. 

    Location Information. We receive data from you and other third parties that helps us to track an approximate device location. We may use, for example, an IP address detected by your browser or device to determine device location. We may also collect information from devices in accordance with the consent process provided by your device. 

    Third Parties. We use and permit select third parties to use automatic data collection tools to collect information using website tracking technologies such as cookies, web beacons, embedded URS, pixels, widgets, buttons or other similar technologies. These can be disabled by you. 

    B. How we use that data 

    We may use the information collected for the following purposes:

    • To improve the operation of the Sites;
    • To engage in research and development of AMI’s product offerings;
    • To conduct ordinary business operations such as sales, marketing, support, education and training;
    • To engage in corporate reporting and management;
    • To recruit employees for AMI;
    • To conduct market research;
    • To maintain a safe and trusted environment for AMI employees, customers, Site visitors and members of the public; and
    • To conduct other similar uses pertaining to the AMI Sites.
    1. How we share thatdata
    • Sharing with AMI Affiliates. We may share your information with our AMI entities worldwide for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. As part of our company, our AMI entities are subject to this Privacy Policy, and our internal privacy policies and data protection requirements are regularly communicated to all of our employees as part of our mandatory compliance training.
    • Sharing with third party service providers. We retain third party service providers to manage or support certain aspects of our business. These third party service providers may be located globally and may provide services to us such as website hosting, data analysis, advertising and marketing services, data hosting, live-chat and helpdesk services, providing information technology infrastructure, customer service, email delivery, credit card processing, auditing and other similar services. Our third party service providers are contractually bound to safeguard any Personal Data they receive from us and they are prohibited from using such Personal Data for any purpose other than to perform the services as instructed by AMI.
    • Engaging in corporate transactions. Circumstances may arise where we may buy or sell assets or businesses as part of a sale, merger or change in control of AMI. In such transactions, we may disclose or transfer your information, in accordance with this Privacy Policy, to prospective or actual purchasers or receive your information from sellers. Any entity which buys us or part of our business will have the right to continue to use the information we have collected and stored, but only in the manner set out in this Privacy Policy.
    • Complying with law / protecting legal rights. We may be required to disclose your information to comply with applicable laws (including laws outside of your country of residence), regulations, court orders, government and law enforcement requests, including national security or other law enforcement requirements. Additionally, if we reasonably believe that it is necessary or appropriate, we reserve the right to use or disclose your information to allow us to pursue available claims or remedies and protect our legal rights, property or the safety of our employees, users or others, to the extent allowed by applicable law. This includes exchanging information with companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud detection.

    MARKETING ACTIVITIES 

    AMI maintains control of the data provided to, or collected by or for, or processed in connection with certain marketing activities, such as in-person meetings, email communications, webinars, conferences, and events. We and our third-party service providers may collect information in the following ways: 

    A. What data we collect through our marketing activities and how we collect it 

    a. Information you provide to us 

    In addition to information submitted to AMI through our Sites, for example when you register for a webinar, subscribe to our email newsletter, or download content (such as AMI whitepapers), we may also collect information from you offline, such as when you attend our events in person or during phone calls with sales representatives. 

    b. Information we acquire from a third party
    To enhance AMI’s ability to provide relevant marketing, offers, and services to you, we may receive information about you from third parties, such as public databases, partners, lead generation services, and social media platforms. We also collect information from other sources to help us correct or supplement our records such as customer enrichment services, improve the quality or personalization of our services to you and to verify your identification in instances of suspected fraud or identity theft. In each instance we will only accept information from third parties where those third parties can demonstrate they have received all necessary consents to share such information with us.

    B. How we use that data 

    We may use information that is collected through our marketing activities in the same way we use information collected through our Sites, as well as for the following purposes:

    • To verify your identity if required;
    • To tailor marketing to your interests, or to recommend products and services that may be of interest to you;
    • To contact you with business, marketing and sales communications that you have agreed to receive such as newsletters, announcements, and special offers, or to notify you of upcoming events;
    • To update and improve AMI services and product offerings;
    • To engage in corporate reporting and management;
    • To conduct market research; and
    • To conduct other similar uses pertaining to the AMI’s Marketing Activities.
    1. How we share thatdata We may share information that is collected through our marketing activities in the same way we share information collected through our Sites, as well as for the following purposes:
    • Communicating with you regarding a Tradeshow. We or our partners may communicate with you about tradeshows that we participate in. These communications may include information about the tradeshows’content, logistics,, updates, or requests for additional information related to your event registration. After the tradeshow, AMI may contact you about the event and our related products and services. 
    • Engaging in advertising. We may provide you with personalized promotional offers (in accordance with your privacy preferences regarding AMI services and other selected partner websites). For example, you might see an advertisement on a partner site for a product that you have recently viewed on a AMI Site. This may involve the use of cookies. We also partner with third parties to display advertising within the AMI services and we contract with service providers to place advertisements on websites owned by third parties. Sometimes this will be achieved by sharing your Personal Data as described in the Cookie Policy.

    PROCESSING YOUR PERSONAL DATA 

    We will only collect and process your Personal Data in the ways described in this Privacy Policy when we have a reason to do so. 

    AMI relies on the following reasons for processing Personal Data:

    • Consent (where you have given consent) 
      We process certain Personal Data based on the consent you provided when you submitted your information. Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw or decline your consent at any time, such as consenting to receive marketing communications.
    • Contract (where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, i.e. to deliver the AMI product or services you or your organization have purchased). 
    • Legitimate interests of AMI or any third parties. 
      Legitimate interests include enabling us to conduct internal business services, such as audits, mergers and acquisitions, reporting, and improving our products and services. Personal Data will only be processed on these grounds when doing so does not outweigh your rights. 
      Where we rely on legitimate interests, you have the right to object at any time.
    • Compliance with laws (where we are required to process information to comply with applicable laws) 
      If we ask you to provide Personal Data to comply with a legal requirement or to perform a contract with you, we will make this clear at the relevant time and advise you whether the provision of your Personal Data is mandatory or not (as well as the possible consequences if you do not provide your information).

    HOW WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SECURE 

    At AMI, we understand the importance of information, and the need to keep Personal Data secure. We have implemented and maintain technical, administrative and physical security measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, misuse, alteration, accidental loss or destruction. 

    We regularly review our security procedures to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, availability and resilience of all data both online and offline. These security procedures and measures vary based on the sensitivity of the information that we collect, process and store and the current state of technology but include firewalls, data encryption, physical access controls and information access authorization controls. AMI has implemented an incident response plan, with a company protocol we follow in the event of any data breach. We take steps to regularly monitor our systems for vulnerabilities and to ensure that we only share information with those who need to know it. 

    However, no website or internet transmission is completely secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized access, hacking, data loss or a data breach will never occur, and we cannot warrant the security of any information that you provide to us. You are responsible for securing and maintaining the privacy of any password(s) and account registration information uses with AMI and verifying that the information we maintain about you is accurate and current. We are not responsible for protecting any information that we share with a third party based on an account connection that you have authorized. 

    We require that our third-party service providers and partners agree to keep the information we share with them confidential and to use the information only to perform their obligations in the agreements we have in place with them. AMI has implemented internal policies to ensure that such parties are required under contract to maintain privacy and security protections which are at least as consistent with our own policies and practices. 

    STORAGE AND RETENTION OF YOUR INFORMATION 

    AMI is a global company and your information is stored on regional servers depending on your location and the locations of the servers of the companies we hire to provide services to us based on contractual requirements. 

    We will retain your Personal Data for the length of time needed to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law, or unless the information is deleted pursuant to the exercise of your rights. We may also retain cached or archived copies of information provided to us. The deletion of your Personal Data and other use of our Sites may result in the deletion and/or de-identification of Other Information that is retained by us. 

    CROSS BORDER TRANSFERS OF INFORMATION AND THE PRIVACY SHIELD 

    AMI is a global company with business processes, management structures and technical systems that cross national borders. This means that your Personal Data may be transferred internally to AMI Affiliates and externally to third parties (including partners and service providers) across international borders for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. AMI transfers data only in accordance with legally approved transfer mechanisms that are appropriate under applicable data protection laws, including the Standard Contractual Clauses.

    WHAT IS NOT COVERED IN THIS POLICY 

    Please note that this Privacy Policy applies only to your relationship with AMI through your use of AMI’s Sites, products, services, events, communications, and marketing and advertising activities. 

    AMI Partners who provide implementation and other solution services may also gather information and you should consult those other parties’ privacy policies as appropriate as they may be applicable to you. Please also note that in using our services, we may provide links to other websites to directly provide information relevant to your use of AMI products. We will provide notice of when we do this. Any interactions you have with these websites are beyond the control of AMI. The Site provides links to websites and access to content, products and services of third parties, including users, advertisers, partners and sponsors of the Site, and such third party websites, content, products or services are governed by the respective third party’s website terms and conditions of use. 

    If you are a job candidate or an AMI employee, please refer to our AMI Employee and Recruitment Privacy Policy available through ADP Workforce Now.

    YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS 

    We provide you the ability to exercise certain controls and choices regarding our collection, use and sharing of your information. 

    Please be aware that, if you do not allow us to collect your information from you, we may not be able to deliver certain products and services to you, and some of the AMI services may not be able to take account of your interests and preferences. 

    Your choices. In accordance with applicable law, you may be entitled to exercise your rights and choices as follows:

    • Account settings. You may update your profile, your account and any related information at any time to ensure that information is up to date or delete inaccuracies by.
    • Devices and browsers. Some of our mobile services use your device’s location information. You can adjust the setting of your mobile device at any time to control whether your device communicates this location information.
    • Communications from AMI. We may use your information to communicate with you by email, including sending you transactional or marketing emails. AMI enables you to opt out of marketing communications. Some communications you may receive from us are not considered marketing emails, such as communications related to product, sales transactionsand (where permitted by law) quality assurance surveys. Such transactional emails are not subject to general opt-out. Some additional communications you may receive from our partners may also not be subject to general-opt out, including product alerts, updates, and other notices related to partner status. You can tell us to stop sending you marketing emails by clicking the unsubscribe link included at the bottom of AMI’s marketing emails or updating your preferences here. If you have any issues unsubscribing, you may contact us directly.
    • Cookies. Some web browsers (including mobile web browsers) provide settings that allow you to control or reject cookies or to alert you when a cookie is placed on your computer, tablet or mobile device. Although you are not required to accept cookies, if you block or reject them, you may not have access to all features or functionalities available through our services. Please go to our Cookie Policy to learn more on how you can manage your cookie preferences or opt out of cookies and other website data collection tools.

    Additionally, depending on where you are located, you may have other rights. 

    EUROPE and CALIFORNIA

    AMI adheres to applicable data protection laws in Europe and California which, where they apply, provides you with the following rights:

    • Data Access. You may request access to the Personal Data we hold about you and request that we edit or delete them.
    • Data Portability. You are entitled to request copies of Personal Data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or request that this information be transmitted to another service provider (where technically feasible).
    • Deletion. You may be able to have your Personal Data deleted or erased.
    • Correcting inaccurate or incomplete information. We maintain a process to help you confirm that your personal details remain correct and up-to-date.
    • Manage your Information. You may choose whether or not you wish to receive material from us or some of our partners. Please let us know by contacting us.
    • Withdrawing consent. If the processing of your Personal Data is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time as to future processing.
    • Objecting to or restricting use of Personal Data. You can ask us to stop using all or some of your Personal Data (e.g., if we have no legal right to keep using it) or to limit our use of it (e.g., if your Personal Data is inaccurate or unlawfully held).

    Privacy relating to minors 

    As a company focused on serving the needs of businesses, AMI does not promote or market the AMI services to minors and we do not knowingly collect information from minors as defined by applicable law. If we discover we have received any Personal Data from a person under the age of 13 in violation of this Policy, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information as quickly as possible. 

    If you believe we have any information from or about anyone under the age of 13, please contact us.

    UPDATES TO THE POLICY

    From time to time, we may change this Privacy Policy to accommodate new technologies, industry practices, regulatory requirements or to reflect any changes in how we process information. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will be effective when we post the revised Privacy Policy on this website. 

    CONTACT US 

    If you believe your Personal Data has been used in a way that is not consistent with this Privacy Policy or your specified preferences, or if you have further questions related to this Privacy Policy, we encourage you to please contact our Privacy Team at the address below or by emailing: Privacy@activeminerals.com .

    Written inquiries may be addressed to our General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at: 

    Chris Coley 
    Active Minerals Inc 
    34 LovetonCir, STE 100
    Sparks, MD 21152
    Phone: +1 (410) 825-2920
    Fax: +1 (410) 321-1268

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