Founded 1910
On 23 April 1910, Alfred Geiser Sr. as shareholder and General Manager of Securitas AG, together with his business partners (the Spreng family/Securitas) purchased the Berlin company "Telefondesinfektionsgesellschaft der Dr. Rudels Nerotik Werke".
On 29 June 1910, the “Telefondesinfektionsgesellschaft” was renamed Neroform AG. On 20 August 1910, a further contract was concluded with the Nerotik factory in Berlin. This enabled Neroform AG to sell the products throughout the world. In addition, the company and brand name gained global protection.
On 26 October 1910, one of the three founders left Neroform AG. For organisational reasons, Neroform AG thereupon appointed Securitas AG to deal with the administration and the entire operation of the business. As General Manager of Securitas, Alfred Geiser was also in charge of Neroform AG until his death in 1929.
The contractual relationship between Neroform AG and Securitas AG continued in existence until 1944.
In 1938, the telephone disinfection business of Neroform AG was expanded with the addition of nationwide cleaning of the telephone boxes owned by PTT (today Swisscom AG).
At the end of 1944, the Geiser family exchanged their Securitas shares for Neroform shares. As a result, Neroform AG was devolved from Securitas AG and the Neroform shares were now in the sole ownership of the Geiser family. The parting of Securitas AG and Neroform AG was amicable.
Dr. jur. Hans R. Geiser became the new Chairman of the Board of Directors
Through intensive advertising and expansion of its business activities, after 1944 Neroform AG became not only a well-known name in Switzerland, but was able to distribute its products via licence partners in many countries on several continents.
From the end of 1944 until 1987, Dr. jur. Hans R. Geiser served as Director of Neroform AG. Even after his retirement, he remained an active member of the Board of Directors until the end of 2003. In his long term of office, he guided the company with great skill and a sure hand through many highs and lows. At Neroform AG, this era was characterised by consolidation and expansion of the established areas of business.
In 2003 Richard Geiser (member of the Board of Directors since 1977) and Ulrich Geiser (Board member since 2003) took over the active management of the company. In 2010, Neroform AG completed 100 years under the management of the Geiser family. At the present moment, it is in the hands of the 3rd generation.
Members of the 4th generation of the Geiser family are also already working for the company. Adrian Geiser is studying business administration at the University of Bern and is working part-time on various Neroform AG projects.
In 2002, Neroform AG acquired the company HGG GmbH in Baden, thereby extending its business activities in the general cleaning field.
This company was renamed and now trades as HGG Neroform GmbH. Its principal activities encompass building maintenance, building cleaning and graffiti removal.
The Neroform product:
Not long after the acquisition, it became all too clear that the telephone disinfection company’s product was capable of improvement. Neroform AG responded by commissioning the University of Bern to develop a new product. The new product Neroform 1911 had a disinfection effect of around 14 days – a tremendous performance at that time.
Thanks to constant improvement of the Neroform disinfectant in the dermatological and bacteriological areas, in 1976 the disinfection effect was extended to more than one month. Since then the product Neroform G has been unrivalled throughout the world as a surface disinfectant with long-lasting action.
1. Business area: Telephone maintenance
Neroform was not only sold and used in Switzerland, but also exported abroad. For example to Sweden, the USA, Belgium, Brazil, Venezuela, Italy, Liechtenstein, Zaire and Germany. Even today, the disinfection of telephones and office equipment remains an important business area for Neroform AG.
2. Business area: Telephone box cleaning
From 1938 until 2005, the PTT/Swisscom telephone boxes were cleaned as well as the telephones.
3. Business area: Cleaning of electronic calculators (from 1978)
The replacement of traditional adding machines with electronic calculators opened up a new cleaning area. In the course of time this evolved into PC cleaning.
4. Business area: COMPUTER CLEANING
With the proliferation of computers, the disinfection area was expanded to include office equipment. Today, hardware cleaning, computer interior cleaning and software checks are carried out. The focus, however, continues to be on the disinfection of peripheral equipment such as keyboards and mice which generally exhibit a higher bacterial contamination than toilet seats (see 2006 microbiological study).
5. Graffiti protection and graffiti cleaning
Following extensive research in the building protection area and especially in the area of graffiti protection, in-house product development was discontinued. For graffiti protection and graffiti cleaning/removal, a distribution agreement for Switzerland was entered into with EuroGuardian, with effect from the end of 2006. We regard EuroGuardian Coating as unrivalled, especially in terms of protecting facades against graffiti. Surfaces sealed with EuroGuardian Coating enjoy lasting protection. Graffiti can be removed with minimal effort up to 500 times without detriment to the underlying facade.
6. Other areas
Building service with various cleaning tasks, floorcare, blind service and building maintenance.
7. Nanotechnology – Nanoform
Research in the nanotechnology field has yet to produce any totally convincing results. Although we are today already able to coat surfaces with nanoparticles, thereby achieving a phenomenal dirt-repellent effect, based on our present level of knowledge, we are unable to entirely discount long-term consequences for the environment (caused by the release of nanoparticles). In view of this situation, the Board of Directors has decided to hold back with the launch of pure nano-products.
Current research concentrates on coating materials whose smallest particles are of the order of several hundred nanometres, which allows a latent risk for man and the environment to be ruled out.
The products emanating from this research are to be marketed in future under the existing Nanoform brandname.
