The Toughest Part of Your iPhone Gets a New American Home
Credit: Apple
Toggle Dark Mode
In case you missed the news, Apple is adding another $100 billion to the $500 billion pledge it made earlier this year to invest in its US supply chain and manufacturing. This move most likely helped Apple dodge the latest round of Trump tariffs, which cost Apple $800 million last quarter and could reach $1.1 billion in the year’s final quarter.
During his announcement from the Oval Office of the additional $100 billion on Wednesday, Trump mentioned Apple’s plans to invest in the “largest and most sophisticated smart-glass production line in the world” in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Cook even gifted Trump a one-of-a-kind sample of the glass produced there, set in 24 karat gold. That same day, Apple revealed these plans involve producing 100 percent of the cover glass on all iPhones and Apple Watches sold worldwide, together with longstanding partner Corning, at Corning’s facility in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
Apple’s relationship with Corning is 18 years old, going back to the glass used in the very first iPhone. Corning began developing Apple’s exclusive Ceramic Shield glass, first released in the iPhone 12, in 2020. Prior Apple devices included various versions of Corning’s Gorilla Glass, also used by several other consumer electronics manufacturers.
With the help of $2.5 billion from Apple, Corning will soon dedicate its entire Harrodsburg, Kentucky, factory to making glass for Apple. To accommodate this expansion, Corning will increase its workforce in Kentucky by 50 percent. The location will also feature a new Apple-Corning Innovation Center, which will serve as a research and development lab for advanced materials and manufacturing platforms for future Apple products.
For some perspective on the significance of this $2.5 billion commitment to Corning and the city of Harrodsburg, Apple has invested about $500 million in Corning’s Kentucky operations through its US Advanced Manufacturing Fund since 2017. Only about 10,000 people live in Harrodsburg, making Apple’s investment the equivalent of approximately $250,000 per resident. According to the Harrodsburg Herald, Corning employs about 400 people at its facility there. In the years to come, this number will climb to about 600.
According to Apple, Ceramic Shield is the toughest glass in any smartphone. With this investment, it’s likely to get even better. While Corning employs more than 54,000 people at 77 manufacturing sites worldwide, it’s impressive that the glass used in every iPhone and Apple Watch sold anywhere in the world will be produced in Harrodsburg. Sounds like a win.
