International manufacturer could bring 80 jobs to Lodi

Mitsui Home America to hold grand opening for Lodi location on Dec. 1

Mitsui Home America, which provides pre-constructed wall systems for apartment buildings, is setting up shop in Lodi and could bring 80 jobs to town.

MHA, a subsidiary of Japan’s Mitsui and one of the world’s largest conglomerates, has purchased the space formerly occupied by Calturas, a wine and beer center, and is in the process of making tenant improvements.

“Lodi is a fantastic town. It’s small but close to the freeway,” MHA Building Systems COO and Senior Vice President Rod Rempel said. “It has great access to the Bay Area and to the Valley as well as good access to workers. The town is just a fantastic town. I really love Lodi.”

According to Rempel, the company has hired all of its supervisors and is looking to start hiring the first 25 employees in November. The company plans to hire another 25 to 30 employees in February. The third hiring phase has not been determined as of yet.

Available positions will be plant manufacturing jobs and Rempel said MHA plans to hire locally. At its new Lodi facility, MHA will manufacture wall panels for large multi-family projects such as apartments, town homes, senior care facilities and schools. The panels are built in the plant and erected onsite.

MHA’s grand opening will be held Dec. 1 and the company plans to begin production by Dec. 15.

MHA has been in business for 21 years and its parent company, Mitsui, dates its origins back to the 17th century.

News broke of Calturas owners Chris and Xavier Santana selling the former Plummer Dealership space located on East Kettleman Lane back in late July.

two were hesitant to sell, but said they were given an offer they couldn’t refuse.

Calturas, a wine and beer center, had been in business for five months and was just heading into its second phase of the opening when negotiations to sell began.

Rempel said that MHA was so determined to get that particular site because of its location and the space that it would provide for manufacturing. He said it’s not too far from several of the places where there are building

projects that they are providing supplies for, including Sacramento, Stockton, the Bay Area, Reno and Lake Tahoe. They are also manufacturing supplies for the Rubicon Apartment complex located at Reynolds Ranch in Lodi.

According to Rempel, the layout of the Calturas space works out for its manufacturing process.

“It’s going to be a very efficient system just because of the shape and the size of the building. It’s perfect really,” Rempel said.

The city is also excited about MHA’s move to Lodi.

“We’re excited for this business,” Lodi City Planner Craig Hoffman said. “They are an international company. This is a company that is going to bring good jobs to the city. These are skilled craftsman jobs, so this is really exciting.”

Those interested in employment with MHA can send a cover letter and resume to employment@mitsuihomeamerica.com to apply.