Ciba Specialty Chemicals develops, produces and sells speciality chemicals worldwide. It serves a number of major markets, including the paper, plastics, printing, packaging, lubricants, automotive, construction, electronics, water treatment, agriculture and home and personal care industries. 
Ciba has around 14,000 employees at 60 sites in 20 countries and 22 research centres in 12 countries. In 2008, the company generated sales of SF5.9bn and invested SF230m in R&D.
History
The company became operationally independent from Novartis in January 1997.
BASF acquires Ciba
On 9 April 2009, BASF acquired Ciba and will start the process of fully integrating the company into its operations. BASF now holds 95.8% of Ciba.
In March 2009, the European Commission (EC) cleared BASF’s acquisition of Ciba as BASF committed to divesting some business lines to address competition concerns. (For more on this story please go to ICIS news).
In February 2009, BASF said it will implement initial organisational changes from April 2009 after the closure of its Ciba Specialty Chemicals acquisition.
The performance products segment, which currently consists of the acrylics ad dispersions, care chemicals and performance chemicals divisions will be joined by the new paper chemicals division.
Ciba’s business with products for paper manufacturing will be integrated into the new division during the second half of 2009.
The current acrylics and dispersions division will include BASF’s business with raw materials for the coating and paint industry and will be renamed dispersions and pigments.
The majority of Ciba’s coating effects business will be integrated into the dispersions and pigments division.
The existing dispersions business will be complemented by the pigments and coatings resins business that is currently part of the performance chemicals division.
The acrylics business will be reassigned to the petrochemicals division, which will then encompass the key steps in the propylene value chain. The superabsorbents business will be assigned to the care chemicals division.
In the care chemicals division, BASF is combining all businesses that contribute to cleaning, personal care and hygiene in addition to human and animal nutrition as well as pharma.
In the future, the performance chemicals division will primarily offer innovative and specific solutions for a range of industries including plastics processing, automotive, refineries, oil fields and mining, as well as leather and textiles.
Ciba’s plastics additives business, among others, will be assigned to this division.
Company movements
In November 2008, BASF said that it holds 94.59% of Ciba’s shares and expects to close the deal in the first half of 2009.
On 29 October 2008, BASF said that it holds a 66.67% stake in Ciba Specialty Chemicals after the expiry of the public tender offer period for Ciba ended as originally planned on 28 October 2008.
On 9 October 2006, Ciba signed an agreement to sell its Masterbatch business to Clariant. The sales price was not disclosed. The divestment was concluded in the fourth quarter of 2006.
End of June 2006, Ciba Specialty Chemicals agreed the sale of its Textile Effects business to Huntsman. The business, including its assets and liabilities, was sold for SF332m, consisting of cash and assumed debt of SF75m. Ciba had previously announced the agreement to sell this business to Huntsman on 20 February 2006.
The company currently comprises of three business segments - Plastic Additives, Coating Effects, and Water and Paper Treatment.
Plastic Additives
The Plastic Additives division creates, produces and markets products and services to the plastics and lubricants industries. It produces additives, which are ingredients added in small quantities to polymers and lubricants that prevent aging and corrosion and help improve the appearance, durability and performance of finished goods such as polyolefins and engineering plastics, as well as high-performance motor oils and lubricants.
Coating Effects
This division primarily serves the coatings, printing, imaging, electronic and plastic industries. It develops, manufactures and markets products and solutions such as pigments for inks, paints and plastics, optical information storage products for re-writable CDs, as well as additives. Additives include photoinitiators for ultra violet (UV) curing, as well as anti-static, anti-corrosion and anti-ageing agents for coatings and electronics and imaging applications.
Water and Paper Treatment
This division serves the paper and municipal, and industrial waste-water treatment industries. The segment offers products and services for paper production starting at the wet-end with anti-foaming and flocculation agents, through the whole paper production process to the dry-end, with paper finishing that determines appearance, handling and performance of the paper by making it water repellent, glossy or white.
This sector also offers products and services used to clean industrial and municipal effluents and to improve the efficiency of mineral and oil processing.