Competitiveness of Plastic Manufacturers: An Analysis under the Porterian Vision in South of Brazil

The sector of disposable plastic transformers in the Southern part of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil is an important regional cluster. This sector includes the industries of dishes, cups and cutlery, which manufacture almost 60% of the volume of these products consumed in Brazil. This study evaluates the plastic disposable industry and their environment. As a general goal, the study proposed to understand how the environment's competitive forces influence the businesses in this sector. In order to achieve the goals, a referential analysis was used: five Porter's (1980) competitive forces model. In the State of Santa Catarina this sector is composed by fourteen manufacturers of disposable dishes, cups and cutlery. The study reached fourteen companies in the sector. The research strategy used was the case study, using a structured questionnaire forwarded to managers of each industry. The study collected and used secondary data referring to competitors, suppliers and national market for data triangulation purposes. A sector of great economic and social importance, at national and regional level, was perceived; as well as competitive forces shaping this industry were mapped.