Apple on Tuesday announced it is awarding an additional $250 million Advanced Manufacturing Fund to Corning Incorporated, supplier of precision glass for the Cupertino firm’s iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad.
The new award is in addition to the $200 million Corning received from Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund in May 2017. The combined $450 million 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.
Apple COO Jeff Williams:
Apple and Corning’s rich history dates back more than a decade, and our partnership revolutionized glass and transformed the technology industry with the first iPhone. This award underscores Apple and Corning’s shared belief in the vital role that ingenuity plays in creating industry-leading products, and the pride that both companies take in applying American innovation and advanced manufacturing to solve some of the world’s toughest technology challenges.
Corning’s Harrodsburg, Kentucky plant has manufactured glass used in every generation iPhone, up to and including the recently debuted iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro models. Apple says the new models feature “the toughest glass ever in a smartphone,” as well as a back machined from a single piece of glass to allow for wireless charging.
To date, Apple has invested over $1 billion in American companies from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund. 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 US.”
Apple says it 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. The company says every one of its core products – including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV – contain parts or materials from the U.S. or is made with equipment supplied by U.S.-based suppliers.
