Tom Mohs
Placon Corporation
Inducted 2017
Thomas Mohs (1939 – 2016) was the founder and chairman of the Madison, Wisconsin based Placon Corporation, which was founded in 1966. Plascon is a leading manufacturer of thermoformed and injection molded packaging products.
Thomas is a 1962 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Madison, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. The company he founded began in the basement of Mohs home using a hand crafted thermoforming machine. He started by making jewelry boxes but soon began manufacturing packaging for local cheese companies and others. Placon started out as a thermoforming company, but added injection molding machinery to produce packaging having more complicated geometries. Placon patented the design for the first retail plastic clamshell package created and produced in the US. The trademarked “BlisterBox,” was an instant commercial success.
Mohs was a pioneer in the use of recycled plastics for packaging. He worked with bottle recycling companies to develop packaging products based on clean post consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) as a replacement for virgin polyvinyl chloride packaging. Placon was recognized by the state of Wisconsin for its efforts in environmental stewardship, receiving the Wisconsin Governor’s Award for Waste Reduction. Placon expanded is production of recycled plastic packaging adding an in-line, closed loop production facility for food service products and for its EcoStar®-branded plastic sheet.
Placon has grown greatly over the years under Mohs’ leadership, expanding into other markets including the medical packaging market. Placon has also expanded operations by opening additional production plants in Massachusetts, Indiana, and Minnesota.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastic processing, Plastics packaging