Apple plans to continue supporting manufacturing operations in Arizona despite the failure of its sapphire supplier, GT Advanced Technologies, earlier this year. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple has been speaking with officials in Mesa, Arizona and reiterating its commitment to bring jobs and manufacturing to the area.
Mesa City Manager Christopher Brady noted in a recent interview that Apple wants to repurpose the building used by GT, saying it’s focused “on preserving jobs in Arizona.”
The Mesa-based GT sapphire plant was considered a milestone in Apple’s efforts to bring manufacturing back to home soil and help rebuild the U.S. manufacturing base, and it was a boon to the economy of the Arizona city, which was hit hard by the 2007 housing bust.
The closing of the plant this fall resulted in the loss of more than 700 jobs in the area — however the 1.3 million square-foot factory and its related infrastructure remains, including a new power substation that uses 100 percent renewable energy and the area’s designation as a foreign trade zone with reduced property taxes. Apple has not divulged any specific plans for the facility, and spokespeople for Apple and GT Advanced Technologies declined to comment.
