Ciba Specialty Chemicals

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Ciba Specialty Chemicals is a chemical company based in and near Basel, Switzerland. It was formed as the non-pharmaceuticals elements of Novartis were spun out in 1997, following the merger in the previous year of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz that created Novartis.

They make products in the following areas: Agriculture, Automotive, Construction & Pipes, Electronic materials, Extractive & Process Technologies, Home & Fabric Care, Inks & Graphics, Lubricants, Monomers & Water Soluble Polymers, Packaging, Paints and Coatings, Paper, Personal Care, Photo & Digital Imaging, Plastics & Rubber, Textiles & Fibers, Water treatment [1]

The company is listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange (stock symbol: CIBN).

[edit] History

Johann Rudolf Geigy-Gemuseus (1733 – 1793) begins trading in 1758 in "materials, chemicals, dyes and drugs of all kinds" in Basel, Switzerland. Johann Rudolf Geigy-Merian (1830 – 1917) and Johann Muller-Pack acquire a site in Basel in 1857, where they build a dyewood mill and a dye extraction plant. Two years later, they begin the production of synthetic fuchsine. In 1901 Geigy is transformed into a public limited company and in 1914, the name of the company is changed to J.R. Geigy Ltd.

In 1859 Alexander Clavel (1805 – 1873) takes up the production of fuchsine in his factory for silk dyeing works in Basel. In 1864, a new site for the production of synthetic dyes is constructed, and in 1873, Clavel sells his dye factory to the new company Bindschedler & Busch. In 1884 Bindschedler & Busch is transformed into a joint-stock company with the name "Gesellschaft für Chemische Industrie Basel" (Company for Chemical Industry Basel). The abbreviation CIBA becomes so widespread that it was adopted as the company's name in 1945.

In 1925 J.R. Geigy Ltd. starts producing textile auxiliaries, an activity which Ciba takes up in 1928.

Ciba and Geigy merged in 1971 to form Ciba‑Geigy Ltd., and this company merged with Sandoz in 1996 to form Novartis. Part of the merger agreement between Ciba Geigy and Sandoz was that the former's industrial chemicals business would be spun off as a separate business, leading to the formation of Ciba Specialty Chemicals plc.

In 2004 Ciba bought paper chemical manufacturer Raisio Chemicals from Raisio Group. In 2006, Ciba divested its Textile Dyes and Chemical Auxillaries business in a sale to Huntsman Corporation.

[edit] External links

• Ciba Specialty Chemicals
• History of Ciba at cibasc.com
• (http://www.hkc22.com/watermarketsworldwide.html) the development of the water markets and water treatment chemicals worldwide, technologies, markets, companies and the future development of your mum.