13 January 2013
PRODUCTION: Apple talks about manufacturing products in the U.S.
By Kate Weggeland, Staff Writer
Apple Incorporated plans to produce Macintosh computers in the United States instead of China. Locations for the manufacturing operation remain unclear.
Apple manufacturing plants would be considered high-profile catches wherever they operate in terms of “the investment and the publicity associated with a prominent company bringing back United States manufacturing jobs,” Tim Cook, Apple’s Chief Executive Officer, said.
Apple is considering spending around 100 million dollars on the project, which would create opportunities for suppliers who could in turn help support the plant.
Apple has received criticism regarding the overall working conditions of the Apple manufacturing plants, based in China, and its failure to use American workers. By producing Apple products in the U.S., the image of both Apple and U.S. manufacturing will reap benefits.
Buffalo, New York is in consideration to be the site of the new Apple manufacturing plant. “Buffalo is an ideal site for Apple’s new American production line not only because of our skilled workforce, but also because of the low-cost power accessible through the nearby Niagara Power Project and our strategic geographic location along the nation’s border with Canada,” New York State Senator Timothy Kennedy said.
Although Apple is looking for new production sites, it has not disclosed its final location for the plant. The company has looked at other sites besides Buffalo such as Los Angeles, California and Detroit, Michigan.
Many of the company’s products are manufactured in the U.S. already, such as the processors and screens of iPhones. In addition, “the engine of an iPhone is made in America. And not only are the engines made here in America, engines are made in America and exported,” Cook said. However, Apple computers have not been assembled or made in the U.S. for almost 20 years.
“This project that I’ve talked about, where we’ll do a Mac in the United States next year, this is a really good step for us. It’s not so much about the price as it is about the skills. Over time, there are skills associated with manufacturing that have left the U.S. It is not a matter of bringing it back; it is a matter of starting it here.”