The purpose of the company is the manufacture and trade of products from the chemical, pharmaceutical and related industries. The company may establish branches and subsidiaries in Switzerland and abroad and participate in other companies in Switzerland and abroad. The company may acquire, hold, manage, exploit and sell real estate in Switzerland and abroad. The company may carry out all commercial, financial and other activities that appear suitable to promote the purpose of the company or are connected with it. The company may grant direct or indirect financing to its direct or indirect subsidiaries and to third parties, including its direct or indirect shareholders and their direct or indirect subsidiaries, for its own liabilities and those of other companies (including direct or indirect shareholders of the company and companies in which these shareholders are involved), provide securities of all kinds, including by way of pledges or fiduciary transfers or assignments of the company's assets, or provide guarantees, enter into sureties or otherwise secure or guarantee the obligations of these other companies, whether remunerated or not, and even if such financing or security transactions are in the exclusive interest of another company. Furthermore, it may operate a liquidity balancing/concentration of net liquidity (cash pooling) with the aforementioned companies or join such a system, including periodic account balancing. This also applies under preferential conditions without interest, excluding the company's pursuit of profit and assuming cluster risks.