The company's purpose is to hold and manage participations and investments, manage its own assets, provide treasury services, develop and register, acquire, manage, market, trade and exploit licenses and patents and other industrial property rights, as well as finance technical inventions and developments, sales and marketing, manufacture and develop energy solutions, trade in goods of all kinds, and provide consulting services in these areas. The company may establish branches in Switzerland and abroad, participate in other companies, encumber participations, acquire, hold, manage, encumber and sell intellectual property rights, real estate (subject to the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad) and securities. The company may engage in all commercial, financial and other activities that are suitable to promote the purpose of the company or are directly or indirectly related to it. It may also provide financing for its own account or for the account of third parties, as well as grant guarantees and sureties for subsidiaries and third parties.