The beginnings of Ciba date back to 1758, when Johann Rudolf Geigy started trading in chemicals and dyes in Basel. In 1859, Alexander Clavel took up production of fuchsine dye in his silk dyeing factory for silk dyeing works in Basel. He sold his dye factory to the new company Bindschedler & Busch in 1873. In 1884, Bindschedler & Busch became a joint-stock company named „Gesellschaft für Chemische Industrie Basel“ (Company for Chemical Industry Basel), which is where the abbreviation CIBA comes from. Meanwhile, J.R. Geigy Ltd. started a textile auxiliaries business in 1925, which was acquired by Ciba three years later. In 1970, Ciba and Geigy merged to form Ciba-Geigy Ltd. (In 1992 it was renamed Ciba.) It became a leading worldwide biological and chemicals group and produced goods for the areas of healthcare, agriculture and industry. In 1996, Ciba-Geigy and the pharmaceutical company Sandoz merged to form Novartis. Today, Ciba Inc. is the name of Novartis’ specialty chemicals divisions that became independent in 1997.
The beginnings of Ciba date back to 1758, when Johann Rudolf Geigy started trading in chemicals and dyes in Basel. In 1859, Alexander Clavel took up production of fuchsine dy ...
e in his silk dyeing factory for silk dyeing works in Basel. He sold his dye factory to the new company Bindschedler & Busch in 1873. In 1884, Bindschedler & Busch became a joint-stock company named „Gesellschaft für Chemische Industrie Basel“ (Company for Chemical Industry Basel), which is where the abbreviation CIBA comes from. Meanwhile, J.R. Geigy Ltd. started a textile auxiliaries business in 1925, which was acquired by Ciba three years later. In 1970, Ciba and Geigy merged to form Ciba-Geigy Ltd. (In 1992 it was renamed Ciba.) It became a leading worldwide biological and chemicals group and produced goods for the areas of healthcare, agriculture and industry. In 1996, Ciba-Geigy and the pharmaceutical company Sandoz merged to form Novartis. Today, Ciba Inc. is the name of Novartis’ specialty chemicals divisions that became independent in 1997.
