PETpla.net Insider 12 / 2013

EDITOUR REPORTS 10 PET planet insider Vol. 14 No. 12/13 www.petpla.net Following our Editour report on the Argentine PET and beverage market, we now move on to the next stage of the “Go with the flow” tour. Flo- rian Roscheck analysed the Uruguayan bottle market and interviewed the preform manufac- turer CristalPET, whose output is without doubt one of the largest in South America. Bordering Brazil in the north and Argentina in the west, it covers an area of approx.175,000km², roughly the same as Florida, in the United States. Uruguay has around 3.3million inhabitants. Its capital city, the port of Monte- video, on the Atlantic Ocean, is the largest and the most important city in the country. 60% of the inhabitants of Uru- guay reside within the metropolitan area of Montevideo. Occupying the seat of government since 2004 is a centre-left coalition led by José Mujica, who succeeded his Broad Front predecessor, Tabaré Ramón Vázquez Rosas. His election represented something of a break with tradition because he did not come from either of the two established parties. The present government has embarked on a series of social and economic reforms, based on the European model. The education policy pursued by the government has meant that the Uruguayan labour force today is rela- tively well trained. Blog summary Uruguay I am on my way to Montevideo, Uruguay, to Melli and Michael from Uruguay-Trip who welcomed me by serving up a thick juicy steak. A nice change from the dismal diet of noodles and the hastily eaten sand- wiches! After my appointment in Montevideo with Cristalpet, I set off on Friday on the 830km haul to Porto Alegre. Later I stop at a petrol station in the no-man’s land behind Chui for an overnight stay. Next morning I notice that the fresh water tank is empty. The bumpy roads have taken their toll; the valve has come loose and the water has escaped. I get into a brief dis- cussion with one of the locals about the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, and end up being offered the possibility of a nice warm shower. Then I set off once more towards Porto Alegre, a daunting 460km away …. And finally here I am, sitting in the air-conditioned courtesy lounge of the supervised car park near Porto Alegre air- port, Brazil, on my own, feet up, watching TV, and ready to welcome Waldemar tomorrow for the next stage of the adventure. Lima Santiago La Paz Buenos Aires Montevideo Progresso São José dos Pinhais São Paulo Rio de Janeiro Lindóia Santa Cruz Sucre Quilmes Pilar Jaú Concepción Santa Fe Barueri Jundiai Sorocaba Amparoa Limeira Uruguay by Florian Roscheck