Coast builder, Chinese maker ink pact
Steel home kits will be shipped hereBILOXI – Coast home builder signs agreement with Chinese manufacturer of steel homes
Slidell, La.-based Planetta Custom Homes signed a letter of agreement with China’s Zhongfu Group on Monday to distribute and build partially prefabricated steel homes in Mississippi and Louisiana.
“We are pleased to be signing this teaming agreement that will put our companies together to form a whole,” said Vic Planetta Sr., the owner of Planetta Custom Homes, which already has residential developments in Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian. “We are promoting a new face for the Coast with these beautiful new houses in the midst of all this destruction. We are going to have houses in a box.”
Vic Planetta Jr. said the homes would be partially constructed in China, placed in 40-foot-long containers and shipped on Zhongfu’s vessels.
Planetta has not yet arranged which Louisiana or Mississippi port the ships will unload at after they enter the Gulf of Mexico through the Panama Canal.
Terry Chu, an engineer with Zhongfu, said the steel homes can withstand 150-mph winds and are not subject to termite infestation, a major problem in Mississippi.
Chu also said the arrangement would avoid supply shortages in America by packaging everything the home needs in the shipping containers along with the steel base components.
Zhongfu will send Chinese workers to the Coast to teach the local workforce how to properly construct the buildings.
Planetta Custom Homes placed an initial order of 600 homes with Zhongfu.
The company will provide different design styles in sizes from 1,250 to 3,000 square feet. Homes will be priced from $130,000 to $500,000.
Zhongfu, a large corporation financed by the Chinese government’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, posted $12 billion in revenues in 2005, according to a company spokesman.
It conducts business ranging from commercial and residential real estate development to operating cemeteries and elderly-care facilities.
“We have a very strong team and this will be a successful arrangement,” said Zhongfu Group president Bei Xiao Jiang. “This will be the best-quality product we can supply to the market.”
A couple things that jumped out at me here was the fact the chinese company selling the pre-built home had them rated at 150 mph and since it’s steel impervious to termites. As for the termites, I’d agree… but chinese steel hasn’t been known as best quality… and they’ve tried to fix that image. I hope that this is some of that stock.
Another issue I’d see is the loss of American jobs, but considering the amount of home that need to be rebuilt fast… I don’t see this becoming an issue, when they come in. Rob, who is a Contractor, passed this link to me as more of an interesting… not fear. So more then likely this will be seen as a good thing.
The main reason i decided to pass this story on for… wasI kept seeing Public Service ADs from Google to give money to Hurricane Relief and I saw this article as ironic and timely.
Tags: Architecture, Interesting, News
Louisiana needs all the help we can get.