Apple to invest $200m in Gorilla glass manufacturer Corning

Apple will invest $200m (£155m) from its new advanced manufacturing fund in Gorilla glass maker Corning as part of its commitment to bolster innovation among US manufacturers, the iPhone maker said.

Earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company would be putting $1bn in an advanced manufacturing fund in the US to create more jobs. Cook said by doing this "we can be the ripple in the pond", as the manufacturing jobs could create more jobs around them.

The $200m investment will support Corning's R&D, capital equipment needs and state-of-the-art glass processing. Corning's Harrodsburg facility would be the focus of Apple's investment.

"This investment will ensure our plant in Harrodsburg remains a global centre of excellence for glass technology," said Wendell P Weeks, Corning's chairman, chief executive officer and president.

Weeks said the relation between the two companies has created about 1,000 jobs in the US across Corning's R&D, manufacturing and commercial operations, in addition to more than 400 jobs in Harrodsburg.

Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer, in a statement on 12 May said: "Corning is a great example of a supplier that has continued to innovate and they are one of Apple's long-standing suppliers."

"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," added Williams.

Prior to the investment in Corning, Apple said on Wednesday (10 May) it would invest $1bn to expand its massive data centre in Reno, Nevada, where the company plans to hire another 100 workers.

Apple said it has created two million jobs across the 50 states in the US. It has a total of 80,000 employees in the US of whom about 25,000 are engaged in R&D. Last year, the company spent more than $50bn with over 9,000 domestic suppliers and manufacturers.