• Launch of Ciba® XYMARA™ Quicksilver SF-02 ink
• Launch of Ciba® XYMARA Nordic™ effect pigments
• Launch of Ciba® XYMARA™ METASHEEN® "11 Series"
• Launch of Ciba® XYMARA™ Electra

It’s not just about the major design shows in London and Paris. Ciba^® XYMARA^™ also engages with younger minds – the designers and materials scientists of tomorrow – at a local level! Here’s a report from Ciba colleague James Posey on a regional event which sparked a lot of interest in XYMARA.

By James Posey

Temple St. Etienne Church in Mulhouse, France

I had just entered the area where our booth was located with my wife and kids when I saw that the Ciba area was jam-packed with on-lookers of all ages. I stood back a-ways and just enjoyed listening to the questions and comments:

   "Wow! This is the same color effect as my friend's new motorbike! Look at the sparkle!"

   "These look just like different colored mirrors!"

   "Oh cool, so you can print electronics with this? Like maybe computer stuff or something for my video games?"

   "How does it change color like that when you move it? Its red like this and purple when I hold it down."

   "I'd love to have these "OnVu™" stickers on my food package to tell me if what I'm buying is fresh or not."

And so on and so on.

On a beautiful and sunny early autumn Alsatian day on the Place de la Reunion square under the shadows of the Temple St. Etienne Church in Mulhouse, France, the most recent "fête de la Science" was in full swing. For the 6th year in a row now, colleagues from our site in Huningue (very near the Basel border and just across the Rhine from our headquarters) took time to present Ciba and our focus on "value in chemistry".

Ciba^® XYMARA™ METASHEEN^®, OnVu™ and Ciba^® XYMARA™ Electra ...

Even with the good-sized crowd, a dapper Remy Kopf very patiently and with careful detail tried to answer all of the questions that came his way. Time and again, he showed his curious audience - ranging from little ones in strollers up to eager pensioners - how light played interestingly off novel mica-based coatings, or how products coated with Ciba^® XYMARA™ METASHEEN^® and Ciba^® MICROLITH^®-K gave such beautiful effects. He even presented the newest of the new in terms of innovation from our world of special effect pigments such as Ciba^® XYMARA™ Quicksilver, Ciba^® XYMARA Nordic™ and other new products.

I finally caught up with Remy during a break in the action to ask a few questions:

JP: Remy, what exactly is the "fête de la Science?

Remy Kopf: Once a year throughout France, different organizations including industry, universities, museums, even clubs and special interest groups come together to present the chemical industry to the general public. It features not only a lot of interesting and interactive exhibits for school kids, but is also a great visit for anyone who stops by!

JP: Why did the team pick Effect Pigments for their exhibits this year?

RK: Well, as you know, Huningue is also involved directly in the production of key XYMARA products. In addition, a lot more of our "traditional" pigments and pigment preparations – ranging from opaque through transparent shades – are used extensively with other XYMARA products to create fantastic effects!

A World of Emotions

JP: How has attendance been?

RK: Really great, thanks also to the perfect weather, great location and really top organization! Friday we had about 20-25 school groups come by, which were somewhere between 15 and 30 students in size each. Plus we had really good groups on Saturday when my colleagues were manning the booth, and again today it’s been a great crowd!

JP: Is Mulhouse the only location in the region doing this?

RK: No, in the Alsace region there are specifically organized exhibits in both Mulhouse and Strasbourg. In addition, many of the related regional museums and other interest groups (e.g. astronomy or other nature-related themes) are showing special exhibits the entire week! It just seems to grow each year and we're really lucky it’s supported nationally the way it is!

Oh, and if anyone is curious, with the exception of getting to watch one group feed scorpions and a very large praying mantis their lunch-time meal of flies and other out-of-luck insects, my kids definitely thought the Ciba booth was the best! Well done to all!

For more information, visit www.fetedelascience.fr

The very dapper Remy Kopf

The author and entire XYMARA team would like to specifically thank Remy Kopf, Catherine Cornier, Celine Gardes, Gilbert Keller, Benoît Meyer and Sylvain Sester from the Huningue site for donating their time and energy to this worthy endeavor! In addition, many thanks to Philippe Bugnon, Patrice Bujard, Michelle Richert, and especially the Quality Assurance and Business Line Plastics teams for their support!