Your asset: our six core competencies

Although we refer to six core competencies, they are actually “umbrella terms” for several dozen other technologies, some of them listed below. Our accumulated know-how and skills in these competencies enable us to create special effects that differentiate your products in the marketplace.

Our core competencies serve the following eight industries:

Plastics Process & Lubricant Additives Home & Personal Care Paints & Coatings Inks & Printing Adhesives & Sealants Paper and Board Water Treatment

A good overview of Ciba’s technical competencies and its key product ranges appears in a feature article in Chimia, the magazine for the Society of Swiss Chemists.

What our core competencies do

		Protection & Stabilization	We protect and stabilize various materials against degradation and damage induced by sunlight, heat, flame, air, ozone and mechanical stress. As an example, all the seats of one of the major stadiums in Switzerland are protected by Ciba® TINUVIN®, a product that inhibits the fading of the blue and red colored seats in the open-air stadium and act as a flame-retardant.

		Color	We add color to a wide assortment of materials, including transportation vehicles, house paints, inks, plastics, cosmetics, packaging and more.

		Interface & Rheology	We enable a better coloration of all substrates (such as wood, metal and plastics) and make it easier to develop chemical formulations. As a result, coatings, inks and paints can be applied more easily and cover substrates more thoroughly. Also, creams and hair gels have an appealing consistency when they are pressed out of their tube or bottle.

		Polymerization & Curing Agents	We accelerate the rate of chemical reactions and enable the combination of molecules. As an example, Ciba has developed a range of technologies related to the instantaneous drying of coatings with UV light, saving energy, providing excellent protection against scratches and reducing the use of environmentally harmful solvents.

		Solid-Liquid Separation	We provide water treatment solutions for industries and municipalities. We also offer solutions to some of the most pressing problems within the mining industries, from oil to iron, diamonds and mixtures. As an example, our chemicals control and accelerate the separation of solids from liquids helping mine operators improve yields and reduce down-time while recovering scarce water resources and disposing of waste in an environmentally stable form.

		Paper Strength & Coating	We increase the efficiency of paper making, improve the quality of paper and enable the reduction of material costs. Our effects do not only improve the overall appearance of paper (whiteness, gloss, opacity, etc.) but also its physical properties such as strength, printability, or density.

Emerging Competencies

In addition to conducting research in traditional technology areas, Ciba is leading the push of promising, future-oriented technologies in its Emerging Competencies group. Here, promising new technologies are evaluated, tested and, if found to be promising, developed into new technology platforms for future business endeavors.

Ciba’s Emerging Competencies group is focused primarily on:

• Security
  
  
• Electronic & Energy
  
  
• Biosciences