Apple Awards Finisar $390 Million From Its Advanced Manufacturing Fund
December 13 2017 - 6:00AM
Business Wire
Award Will Create 500 High-Skill Jobs at Sherman, Texas
Facility
Apple® today announced the latest award from its $1 billion
Advanced Manufacturing Fund. Finisar, a leading manufacturer of
optical communications components, will receive $390 million as
part of Apple’s commitment to support innovation and job creation
by American manufacturers.
The award will enable Finisar to exponentially increase its
R&D spending and high-volume production of vertical-cavity
surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). VCSELs power some of Apple’s most
popular new features, including Face ID®, Animoji™ and Portrait
mode selfies made possible with the iPhone® X TrueDepth™ camera, as
well as the proximity-sensing capabilities of AirPods®.
VCSEL technology is a better performing, more compact and
cost-efficient solution compared to traditional edge-emitting
lasers for many emerging applications. Apple has rapidly adopted
depth-sensing technology in recent years, leading to the
development and production of the most advanced VCSELs used in the
history of consumer electronics. In the fourth quarter of 2017,
Apple will purchase 10 times more VCSEL wafers than were previously
manufactured worldwide over a similar time period.
As a result of Apple’s commitment, Finisar will transform a
long-shuttered, 700,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Sherman,
Texas, into the high-tech VCSEL capital of the US. Apple’s award
will create more than 500 high-skill jobs at the Sherman facility,
including engineers, technicians and maintenance teams. When
combined with the company’s nearby plant in Allen, Texas, Finisar’s
payroll in Northern Texas is expected to be $65 million. Hiring,
capital equipment planning and infrastructure upgrades are already
underway at the Sherman facility, which is expected to begin
shipping in the second half of 2018.
One hundred percent of the VCSELs Apple buys from Finisar will
be made in Texas. Consistent with Apple’s commitment to the
environment, the company intends to procure enough renewable energy
to cover all of its Apple manufacturing in the US.
“VCSELs power some of the most sophisticated technology we’ve
ever developed and we’re thrilled to partner with Finisar over the
next several years to push the boundaries of VCSEL technology and
the applications they enable,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief
operating officer. “Technology is only as good as the people behind
it, and Finisar is a company with a long history of putting its
employees first and supporting the community it’s a part of. We’re
extremely proud that our involvement will help transform another
American community into a manufacturing powerhouse.”
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 high-skill jobs that will help lay the
foundation for a new era of technology-driven manufacturing in the
US. In May, Apple announced Corning Incorporated had been awarded
the first award from the fund — $200 million to support their
R&D, capital equipment needs and state-of-the-art glass
processing.
“We’re excited to continue our innovation with Apple of a
technology that has tremendous potential,” said Jerry S. Rawls, CEO
of Finisar. “When you combine our proven ability to consistently
manufacture exceptional products with our new state-of-the-art
Sherman facility, we’re confident we can achieve our shared goal of
providing consumers with incredibly exciting features. Finisar has
always been keenly aware it takes great people to power our work
and that’s why we’re thrilled to be adding Sherman to our
family.”
“Sherman is the perfect place for Finisar’s significant
investment in their operations and facilities and we couldn’t be
more grateful for their confidence. We’re thrilled that Finisar and
Apple will be a part of the Sherman business community,” said
Sherman Mayor David Plyler. “The City of Sherman has invested
significantly in improved infrastructure and amenities, and that’s
translated into an unparalleled quality of life. The city has also
adopted a pro-business culture, making Sherman the industry and
commerce hub of North Texas.”
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.
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction
of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in
innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV.
Apple’s four software platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS —
provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower
people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple
Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees
are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving
the world better than we found it.
NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple’s PR
website (www.apple.com/pr), or call Apple’s Media Helpline at (408)
974-2042.
© 2017 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo,
Face ID, Animoji, iPhone, TrueDepth and AirPods are trademarks of
Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their
respective owners.
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AppleFred Sainz, 669-227-0492sainz@apple.comAlisha Johnson,
669-227-3364alisha_johnson@apple.com
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