Equipment for manufacturing a polyethylene terephthalate container which is capable of withstanding, without appreciable deformation, relatively severe thermal conditions encountered during processing by filling with a hot liquid or pasteurization of the contents of the container. The equipment includes a first mold which is designed to shape the body of an intermediate container from the body of an amorphous polyethylene terephthalate preform to a size larger than the dimensions of the final container to be obtained. Second, the equipment includes a treatment station which itself includes a first heating device which first heats only the body section of the intermediate container to a temperature of about 160.degree. to about 240.degree. C. to rapidly shrink the body of the intermediate container and then heats the neck section while the contracted intermediate body continues to be heated to effect crystallization of the neck section and increase the crystallinity of the contracted intermediate container body. The treatment station then slowly cools the neck section while heating of the contracted intermediate container body continues. The heated intermediate container is placed in a second mold which has dimensions corresponding to the final size of the container to be obtained.