Placon’s 60^th Anniversary May 12, 2026

Here’s a quick look back in Placon’s history over the last six decades and a look forward to an exciting future.

We’re excited to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of Placon this year! This important milestone is an achievement that represents the quality, innovation, and excellence of our products over the past six decades. Let’s take a quick look at some of the key dates in our Placon history, and what we’re most looking forward to in the future.

Placon’s Founding

Placon was founded in 1966 by Tom Mohs, who built a small thermoforming machine in his basement to make plastic jewelry boxes. He quickly realized that he could expand his horizons, and started thermoforming material for food containers – like cheese! The first automatic thermoforming machine for Placon was purchased in 1967, which sparked new ideas, developments, and industry contacts as the company began to expand.

Expanding Quickly

Placon needed to expand quickly. In 1969, a new facility in Madison, Wisconsin, was built. At over 6,000 square feet, it was the main hub for plastic thermoforming, offices, and warehouse space. This property served as the base for later expansions at McKee Road and remains the headquarters for Placon’s operations to this day.

Iconic Innovations

In 1980, Placon patented and released the BlisterBox, an iconic and innovative retail packaging solution. This box clearly displays building and hardware supplies, crafts, hunting and fishing accessories, and more in a convenient, space-saving way. The BlisterBox helped transform retail packaging in the 80s, and helped retailers find exciting ways to showcase new products. The BlisterBox has remained a retail-favorite item for decades, and has continued to evolve and improve over time. Now, Placon offers BlisterBox compartments, BlisterBox Heavy Duty, and iterations like CurvedBox and GraphicBox to suit a larger audience.

Thinking Green

Placon has always been at the forefront of environmentally-conscious design and sustainability. In 1988, Placon established the Internal Recycling Department, allowing plastic waste to be repurposed and recycled back into the manufacturing process. Later, this effort was expanded in 2002 to include recycled PET extrusion, allowing companies to use post-consumer recycled (PCR) material in their packaging products. This further helps to increase the amount of recycled material in products and decreases the amount of single-use plastics, helping both the environment and manufacturing process.

In 2007, this was again expanded with the EcoStar facility, where PET bottles and thermoforms are recycled into PET flake and extruded to create Placon’s in-house RPET rollstock material.

Flourishing and Evolving

In 2011, Placon acquired Barger, a leading medical device packaging manufacturer in Elkhart, Indiana. In 2014, Placon expands to injection molding by acquiring Plastic Packaging Corporation. And in 2016, Placon celebrated 50 years in business and expanded yet again, this time in Plymouth, Minnesota, with Brookdale Plastics. These acquisitions and expansions created a variety of options for our customers to choose from.

New Materials and Designs

In 2022, Placon launched OxyStar, the first-ever recyclable oxygen-scavenging PET barrier material. This helps to keep food fresh for longer, while still offering an eco-friendly and recyclable packaging option. In 2025, Placon won the AmeriStar Award for the SimplKomb, a custom thermoformed design for honeycomb production and retail packaging. This innovative solution helps reduce product waste, labor, and allows consumers to choose an eco-friendly packaging solution. These awards and continual evolution help push the boundaries of the plastics industry and are a testament to our commitment of progress.

2026 and Beyond

We’re so excited to look back at the past, but are equally excited to look forward to the future. In 2026 and beyond, we’re increasing our environmentally conscious pledge by going Zero Net Waste in all facilities by 2027, continuing to invest and use green energies like solar, and are updating our product lines to include more PCR content for recyclability. These initiatives are driving us forward, and we’re excited to see our new innovations and designs over the next 60 years! For more information, visit our Resources or Sustainability pages, or visit our LinkedIn to see some of the celebrations for our 60^th we’re having at our facilities.

ABOUT PLACON
Since 1966, Placon has been a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative and sustainable plastic packaging for medical, food, and consumer goods markets. Placon has manufacturing operations in Madison, WI; West Springfield, MA; Elkhart, IN; and Plymouth, MN, and is currently ranked in the Top 20 in Plastics News 2025 Thermoformers Rankings. Placon delivers packaging breakthroughs that inspire better engagement between people and products.