Apple has awarded an additional $250 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to Corning Inc., supplier of precision glass for the iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad.
Today’s award builds on the $200 million the company received from Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund in May 2017. The combined investment supports Corning’s research and development into state-of-the-art glass processes, equipment and materials integral to the delivery of next-generation consumer devices, according to Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer.
Glass for every generation of iPhone, including the new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro which will be available later this week, has been made at Corning’s Harrodsburg, Kentucky plant. Apple says the newest iPhone models feature the toughest glass ever in a smartphone, as well as a back machined from a single piece of glass that allows for wireless charging.
Williams says Apple spent a collective $60 billion with 9,000 American suppliers in 2018, supporting 450,000 jobs in all 50 states and manufacturing locations in 36 states. Every one of the company’s core products — from iPhone and iPad to Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV — contains parts or materials from the US or is made with equipment from U.S.-based suppliers.
Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund comes from the tech giant’s U.S. investment pool. Corning, Inc., was the first company to benefit. The fund was designed to foster and support the innovative production and high-skill jobs that will help fuel a new era of technology-driven manufacturing in the U.S. To date, Apple has invested over $1 billion in American companies. In addition to the $450 million now awarded to Corning, other commitments already announced include $390 million to Finisar and $10 million to the Elysis aluminum partnership.
Wendell P. Weeks, Corning’s chairman, chief executive officer and president, says Apple’s 2017 $200 million investment from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund has helped Corning deliver cutting-edge products for Apple, as demonstrated in the latest device lineup announced last week, of which glass is an integral element. The Harrodsburg facility serves as Corning’s global glass technology center, working closely with scientists at Sullivan Park in Corning, New York, to develop advanced glass solutions for next-generation technologies.
Apple’s investment has helped to ensure the facility’s reputation as a global center of excellence, and supports the nearly 1,000 Corning jobs created by the Apple business, according to Weeks. The team of nearly 400 highly skilled employees in Harrodsburg averages 14 years of experience, with Corning consistently rated one of Kentucky’s top places to work.
Apple says it’s responsible for creating and supporting 2.4 million U.S. jobs across all 50 states, four times the number of American jobs attributable to the company eight years ago. The app economy is currently responsible for 1.9 million American jobs, and Apple directly employs 90,000 employees in all 50 states. Apple is on pace to create 20,000 new jobs and directly contribute $350 billion to the U.S. economy by 2023, which the company announced in January of 2018.
