Apple CEO: Arizona Plant Will Spark ‘Tens of Thousands’ of Jobs
Apple (AAPL) chief Tim Cook told shareholders at the vendor’s annual meeting last week the vendor’s 1.3 million-square-foot, so-called sapphire plant in Mesa, Ariz., initially will produce thousands of U.S. manufacturing jobs and key an ecosystem that could yield “tens of thousands” of new positions.
Apple (AAPL) chief Tim Cook told shareholders at the vendor’s annual meeting last week the vendor’s 1.3 million-square-foot, so-called sapphire plant in Mesa, Ariz., initially will produce thousands of U.S. manufacturing jobs and key an ecosystem that could yield “tens of thousands” of new positions.
The vendor is readying the facility, which it first referenced publicly last November, to make scratch-resistant sapphire crystal coverings for future iPhone and iPod displays, camera lenses and fingerprint readers—and perhaps some of the new, innovative gear Cook’s hinted at recently.
According to MacObserver’s account of Apple’s shareholder confab, Cook said developer jobs will spring from the Mesa initiative, suggesting the plant may serve as a manufacturing hub for new Apple products beyond the company’s current equipment hardware and mobile device lineup, with additional positions stemming from third-party companies in the supply chain.
Will the Mesa facility become the manufacturing headquarters for Apple wearables—not only for the long-rumored iWatch but also other gear running third-party applications?
By implication, there must be enough heft behind Apple’s Arizona investment for Cook to leverage it to weigh in on the issues of the day. Apple was among a number of heavyweight companies with interests in Arizona that urged Gov. Jan Brewer to veto SB1062, the controversial legislation that would have allowed business owners with strong religious beliefs to refuse service to certain people and organizations.
Apple’s partner in the Mesa deal is New Hampshire-based GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT). Some 700 people are expected to work at the Mesa plant at first, and GT, not Apple, will employ the workers. Apple bought the building for $113 million and will lease it back to GT. The vendor received a $10 million grant from the Arizona Commerce Authority that sweetened the deal and already has paid $1.06 million in impact fees to Mesa.
Apple also maintains six retail stores in Arizona.
