Eerste beloning Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund bekend
Eerder deze maand startte Apple een speciaal fonds voor bedrijven en initiatieven die zich onderscheiden in het productieproces. Dit Advanced Manufacturing Fund van Apple is niet niets, want er werd meteen maar liefst een miljard dollar in gestort.
Inmiddels heeft Apple de eerste winnaar van een substantieel bedrag uit dit fonds bekend gemaakt. Die winnaar is Corning, en het bedrag is 200 miljoen dollar. Die 200 miljoen dollar wordt niet zomaar aan Corning gegeven, maar is geoormerkt als een bedrag om te gebruiken bij de aanschaf van de nieuwe machines die nodig zijn voor de Research & Development van dit bedrijf.
Eerste beloning Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund bekend
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Corning is al jaren de leverancier van Apple voor zo'n beetje al het glas dat op de verschillende iDevices gebruikt wordt, dat we kennen onder de naam Gorilla Glass. Dat dit geld nu bij Corning's R&D wordt geïnvesteerd is opvallend, want Corning levert ook aan andere fabrikanten, bijvoorbeeld Samsung. Het is dus mogelijk dat Apple hiermee de vooruitgang bij de concurrentie ook bevordert.
Apple heeft
een persbericht hierover uitgebracht, hieronder de volledige tekst daarvan.
Apple Awards Corning First Advanced Manufacturing Fund
Investment $200M Investment Supports Revolutionary Glass Production Methods
HARRODSBURG, Kentucky - May 12, 2017 - Apple® today announced Corning Incorporated will receive $200 million from Apple's new Advanced Manufacturing Fund as part of the company's commitment to foster innovation among American manufacturers. The investment will support Corning's R&D, capital equipment needs and state-of-the-art glass processing. Corning's 65-year-old Harrodsburg facility has been integral to the 10-year collaboration between these two innovative companies and will be the focus of Apple's investment.
"Corning is a great example of a supplier that has continued to innovate and they are one of Apple's long-standing suppliers," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "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. We're extremely proud of our collaboration over the years and we are investing further with Corning who has such a rich legacy of innovative manufacturing practices."
Apple has committed to investing at least $1 billion with US-based companies as part of the fund, which is designed to foster innovative production and highly skilled jobs that will help lay the foundation for a new era of technology-driven manufacturing in the US.
"Corning's longstanding relationship with Apple has not only led to significant glass innovations that have enabled new capabilities for consumers, it has also helped create nearly 1,000 American jobs and allowed us to continue growing and expanding in the US," said Wendell P. Weeks, Corning's chairman, chief executive officer and president. "This investment will ensure our plant in Harrodsburg remains a global center of excellence for glass technology."
In the US, Apple now supports 2 million jobs across all 50 states, including 450,000 jobs attributable to Apple's spend and investment with US-based suppliers. Last year alone, Apple spent over $50 billion with more than 9,000 domestic suppliers and manufacturers.
Since the inception of Gorilla Glass in 2007, the partnership between Apple and Corning has created and sustained nearly 1,000 US jobs across Corning's R&D, manufacturing and commercial functions, including over 400 in Harrodsburg. Corning has procured enough renewable energy to cover all of its Apple manufacturing in the US.
Gast
