Our story
Plaze, Inc. was founded in 1940 by John Ferring III. From the late 1940s to mid-1970s it remained a small regional aerosol contract packager, producing around 4 million cans per year. In 1978 business was purchased by John Ferring IV, and from late 1970s to mid-1990s the business grew dramatically to over 50 million cans produced per year. Plaze Inc. became PLZ Aeroscience and later PLZ Corporation with the introduction of private equity investment to the business. PLZ Corporation through strategic acquisition, brand and organic growth grew into the largest aerosol packaging business in North America under John Ferring’s leadership. Now with Nick and John Ferring’s acquisition of Custom Pak Products they are returning the business to the entrepreneurial family ownership model that was successful for both Custom Pak Products and Plaze in their early years.
Timeline
- Founded 1972 – 1,500 sq. ft. rented space on 107th Street and Brown Deer Road in Milwaukee, WI
- 1974 – Expansion – Acquired the other half of our rental facility, expanding operations to 4,000 sq. ft. and expanded our capabilities, adding the ability to do our own formulation work and enter the world of custom matching OEM paints and finishes.
- 1975 Custom Pak Products was manufacturing and packaging custom OEM paint for many of the large local manufacturing firms like Allis Chalmers, Bolens, Safety-Kleen, Louis Allis Co., and RTE Corporation.
- 1978 – Expansion – Purchased land on Edison Drive in Germantown, WI and started construction on new state of the art 7,000 sq. ft. facility with automated production lines and new outside storage tanks, and room to grow.
- 1978-1979 – Product Line Expansion and Innovation – Custom Pak Products developed the first ½ oz. brush in lid container paint package for the industrial market. An excellent complement to our aerosol packaging services.
- 2001 – Growth and Expansion – Purchased 4.5 acres of land in Germantown, WI and began construction on a new 25,0000 sq. ft. facility.
- 2002 – Product Line Expansion – in addition to aerosols and ½ oz bottles began bulk liquid paint packaging and paint pen filling. On the aerosol side started expanding into non paint categories including lubricants, adhesives, silicone sprays, and various other industrial aerosol products.
- 2004 – Growth with major OEMs and Paint Manufacturers
- 2020 – PLZ Corp. acquires Custom Pak Products. Berg Family retires from the business.
- 2020-2023 – Growth and Investment – Upgraded compounding capabilities and capacity, R&D lab expansion and upgrades, and warehouse redesign and upgrades.
- 2024 – John and Nick Ferring purchase Custom Pak Products from PLZ Corp. Business returns to family owned and operated model.
- 2024 – New automated high speed aerosol line installed, more than doubling aerosol capacity.