The company's purpose is to acquire, hold, manage, and dispose of interests in companies in Switzerland and abroad, as well as to conduct research, development, production, and distribution of chemical products and materials. The company may engage in investment and lending transactions of any kind, provide guarantees, and grant direct or indirect financing to affiliated companies or third parties, including their direct shareholders and their direct or indirect subsidiaries. The company may also provide security for the liabilities of such other companies in any form, including pledges on or fiduciary transfers of the company's assets, or guarantees of any kind, with or without compensation. Furthermore, the company may conduct liquidity balancing/concentration of net liquidity (cash pooling) or join such arrangements with the aforementioned companies, including periodic account balancing (zero balancing), even under deferred terms without interest, excluding the company's profit motive, and assuming clustering risks. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad, invest in, acquire, or establish companies of any kind in Switzerland and abroad, buy, lease, and sell real estate, acquire and exploit industrial property rights and know-how, and conduct all business and enter into all agreements that are suitable to promote the company's purpose or are directly or indirectly related thereto.