Uruguayan Post Office projects logistic center with CAF’s support.

(Montevideo, December 18th, 2013) CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, and the  Correo Uruguayo(Uruguayan Post Office), signed a technical cooperation agreement that will provide non-reimbursable resources from the multilateral organization to the state-owned company, to prepare a business plan that will promote its growth, with the horizon set in the year 2020. It will also finance the preparation of a project to build a logistic and distribution center for the Postal Office in the Pando Industrial Park. 

Gladis Genua, CAF's Director Representative in Uruguay, pointed out that this agreement seeks to "start a plan that will provide the Uruguayan Post Office with an intelligent infrastructure and the adequate processes so that it may become an efficient , profitable, self-sustainable, and modern institution, which contributes with the development of the logistic sector in the country". 

In addition, Genua highlighted the importance of this initiative for CAF, as it is the first time that the Development Bank supports the growth of a postal unit in the region. She indicated that "this could be an example to copy in the rest of Latin America". 

At the same time, Solange Moreira, Vice-President of the Uruguayan Post Office, pointed out that CAF's cooperation has represented a "very significant" support. "We do not measure the importance only from an economic point of view, but also from the trust in our company and its modernization project". In this regard, she indicated that the preparation of a business plan and the consolidation of an indicative project to advance in the construction of the Postal Office Logistic Center and Distribution Center constitute "the foundations of the final modernization of the Uruguayan Post Office". 

The objective of the preparation of the 2013-2020 is to project the businesses, income, and responsibilities of the Post Office, so as to achieve self-sustainability as soon as possible. Thus, the organization will be able to establish a financing system made up of its own resources and the money raised from postal rates. 

The Postal Office Logistic Center and the Distribution Center will occupy an area of 10,000 m², equipped with top of the line postal technology. The new infrastructure will completely change the way in which postal employees work, reducing their physical effort with equipment that is comparable to the best postal offices in the world, such as transporting belts, sorters, and roll containers. It is estimated that the works will begin during the second semester of 2014, allowing for its entry into operations a year later.