2. Classification of formulation industries

All industries producing raw materials or finished products for other downstream industries or the end consumer are required, to a greater or lesser extent, to formulate their products to meet real customer needs.

Even a heavy industry such as fertilizers has to resort to formulation for two reasons. Firstly, it needs to blend several chemical compounds to increase the fertilizing power of the final fertilizer and make it easier to spread. Secondly, the surface of the granules needs to be treated to prevent caking, which would lead to mass setting during the storage phase.

At the other end of the scale, a fine biotechnology industry producing enzymes by fermentation is also involved in formulation. The fragility of enzymes and their allergenic properties force producers to package them in the form of solutions containing stabilizers, or...