Apple will be holding on to its soon to be shuttered Mesa, Arizona sapphire glass facility, reports Bloomberg. The Cupertino firm has told Mesa city officials that it intends to repurpose the building, and that it’s committed to preserving jobs in Arizona.
“They’ve indicated their commitment to us: They want to repurpose that building and use it again,” Mesa City Manager Christopher Brady said in a recent interview. Apple has said it’s focused “on preserving jobs in Arizona” and promised to “work with state and local officials as we consider our next steps.”
Apple released a statement back in October saying it would be looking for other ways to make use of the Mesa facility, also stating that it planned to help GT Advanced employees affected by the bankruptcy to find new jobs.
Apple chose Mesa, AZ as the location for the sapphire facility following an agreement by city officials to expedite approvals, build out the power structure, and cut property taxes for the factory.
Mesa planned to leverage Apple’s presence by creating a new technology corridor in the area, in order to lure other tech companies to the city.
Apple and GT Advanced reached a deal in October that ended the partnership between the two companies, and GT will officially close the Mesa facility in December. The few remaining employees at the facility are cleaning and decommissioning the sapphire furnaces so that they may be sold off.
