Corning: Apple’s investment in US manufacturing

Apple’s latest announcement of its USD 200 million investment in Corning’s manufacturing facility in Harrodsburg, Ky., solidified its commitment to US manufacturing. The Harrodsburg plant has been churning out screens made of Gorilla Glass for Apple iPhones since 2007. And although a majority of Gorilla Glass is made overseas near Apple’s other suppliers, the Harrodsburg facility is where Corning’s researchers develop and fine-tune their ideas and processes.

“This partnership started 10 years ago with the very first iPhone, and today every customer that buys an iPhone or iPad anywhere in the world touches glass that was developed in America,” Apple’s COO Jeff Williams stated in a company press release.

“A chapter that will not only enable next-generation mobile consumer electronics, but also sustain and create high-value manufacturing jobs,” Corning CEO Wendell Weeks said in his company’s press release.

“Corning’s longstanding relationship with Apple…has also helped create nearly 1,000 American jobs and allowed us to continue growing and expanding in the US,” Weeks added in the release. “This investment will ensure our plant in Harrodsburg remains a global center of excellence for glass technology.”