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Pa. manufacturer getting piece of $410M Apple investment
Stacy Wescoe//May 6, 2021
Those selfies you take on your iPhone will be bringing jobs to the Lehigh Valley.
Apple has announced that it has awarded $410 million from its Advanced Technology Fund to II-VI, a leading manufacturer of optical technology with facilities in Easton.
The company said today’s award builds on an initial $390 million awarded from Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund in 2017.
The money will help create additional capacity and accelerate delivery of future components for the iPhone
The funding is part of an overall investment in the company that will be creating a total of 700 jobs across the country.
II-VI also has facilities in Sherman, Texas; Warren, New Jersey; and Champaign, Illinois that will be benefiting from the investment.
According to a press release from Apple, II-VI manufactures vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) that help power the iPhone’s Face ID, Memoji, Animoji and Portrait mode selfies.
Apple said it also works with II-VI to manufacture lasers used in the LiDAR Scanner, which is technology that helps deliver faster, more realistic augmented reality experiences and improves autofocus in low-light scenes in photos and videos.
“We established Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund to support American businesses creating next-generation technology and the jobs of tomorrow,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “II-VI shares our commitment to push the boundaries of innovation and we’re proud to be extending our work together across the country.”
II-VI is a part of Apple’s Clean Energy Program, which was designed to advance the use of renewable energy across the company’s supply chain.
Apple said its expanded partnership with II-VI is part of the company’s plans to invest $430 billion and add 20,000 new jobs across the US over the next five years.
