Japan’s Maruchan Closes 32-Acre Buy in Irvine Spectrum for Noodle Facility
The largest Irvine land sale in a decade closed this week when Japanese noodle maker Maruchan Inc. purchased 32 acres in the Irvine Spectrum office and industrial complex.
The price, which was not disclosed, was estimated by sources familiar with the transaction at about $14 million.
The company plans to build a new manufacturing facility, which it may consolidate with the two smaller manufacturing sites it has in Irvine. Those operations now employ 300 people. A decision on combining the facilities has not been made yet, the company said Wednesday.
Maruchan makes packaged noodles, ramen and won-ton that are sold on grocery store shelves. It is privately held. The company also owns two restaurants in Irvine, both called Port Maru.
The company plans to add 100 jobs initially when it opens the Spectrum facility in the third quarter of 1994.
“That means 400 jobs are staying here instead of going to Mexico, Seattle (where Maruchan owns some land) or someplace else,” said Richard Sim, group president for Irvine Co., which sold the land.
Maruchan’s U.S. president, Kiyoshi Fukagawa, was out of town Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. He did issue a statement: “We chose to make this major commitment to the Irvine Spectrum because of its reputation, nearby labor base and proximity to our existing operations. We also received timely cooperation and assistance from the Irvine Co., Irvine City Manager Paul Brady and his staff, along with directors at the County of Orange.”
Brady said Wednesday that he has been talking for six months with Fukagawa and representatives from Maruchan’s parent company, Toyo Suisan Kaisah Ltd. in Tokyo.
“The game has changed,” Brady said. Officials now “must spend some time to attract and retain businesses.”
He said he emphasized that Maruchan’s employees are already settled here, that the Spectrum is close to John Wayne Airport and that the city of Irvine will speed needed permits so that the company can open its new facility on schedule.
Richard Hertel, the broker who negotiated the deal for Maruchan, said, “Manufacturing--well, I don’t want to say it hasn’t been made to feel welcome, but it hasn’t been encouraged.”
The attention paid to Maruchan by city and county officials helped change that perception, said Hertel, a vice president in the Newport Beach office of real estate brokerage Collins Fuller Corp. The land is in unincorporated territory that Irvine is working to annex, he said.
The previous Irvine land sale nearing the magnitude of the Maruchan transaction was in 1983, when aerospace parts manufacturer Parker Hannifin Corp. bought 60 acres.
Countywide, the previous deal of comparable size was the purchase of 36 acres in Aliso Viejo by United Parcel Service in 1988. Hertel also negotiated that sale.
Maruchan opened for business in Orange County 15 years ago in 35,000 square feet in the Irvine Business Complex. It has 120,000 square feet there now, plus 115 square feet nearby.
