By Lazarus Sauti
Apple Inc will open an environmentally-friendly manufacturing facility in Arizona in partnership with mineral crystal specialist GT Advanced Technologies Inc to make sapphire materials for Apple’s popular electronic devices.
The announcement came from Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who highlighted Apple’s latest initiative as a growth driver for the state.
Brewer said the project will create at least 700 ‘quality’ jobs in the first year alone, as well as an additional 1,300 construction jobs associated with the facility’s construction.
She said in a statement on her website: “Apple is indisputably one of the world’s most innovative companies and I am thrilled to welcome them to Arizona.
“Apple will have an incredibly positive economic impact for Arizona and its decision to locate here speaks volumes about the friendly, pro-business climate we have been creating these past four years.
Brewer goes on to say, “Their investment in renewable energy will also be greening our power grid, and creating significant new solar and geothermal power sources for the state.”
From the announcement, it is clear that GT Advanced Technologies will manufacture sapphire material on the Arizona site and Apple made a prepayment of $578 million for the build, which GT Advanced will reimburse in full starting in 2015.
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