Apple deepens its ties to a Kentucky plant that produces cover glass for
iPhone and Apple Watch
[September 13, 2025] By
BRUCE SCHREINER
HARRODSBURG, Ky. (AP) — Apple is putting its trust in a Kentucky plant
singled out to become the exclusive producer of the cover glass meant to
safeguard every iPhone and Apple Watch sold worldwide by the tech giant.
Specialty glass maker Corning Inc. said Friday it plans to triple
production capacity at its plant in Harrodsburg and increase the
workforce there by 50%, deepening its relationship with Apple that began
when the original iPhone launched in 2007. The Harrodsburg plant made
the glass for those first iPhones.
Apple has put its vast financial muscle behind the project, announcing
recently it was making a $2.5 billion commitment to enable Corning to
produce all the cover glass for the iPhone and Apple Watch at Corning's
plant in Harrodsburg, a central Kentucky town of more than 9,000
residents.
It is part of a massive commitment announced by the tech company last
month to increase its investment in American manufacturing and which won
bipartisan praise from Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Corning executives and selected employees spoke to reporters at the
plant on Friday. Apple CEO Tim Cook visited the Harrodsburg factory
earlier in the day but did not participate in the media event.
“We are transforming the plant once again, by combining Corning and
Apple’s expertise to enable production of 100% of the cover glass for
the iPhone and the Apple Watch," Corning Chief Operating Officer Hal
Nelson said Friday. “Together, we are building a next-generation U.S.
manufacturing platform to deliver ... high-performance materials for
Apple’s iconic products.”
Cook said last month in a news release that the teamwork between Apple
and Corning will result in “the largest and most advanced production
line ever created for smartphone glass.”
“Thanks to the power of American manufacturing, any customer anywhere in
the world who buys a new iPhone or Apple Watch will be holding precision
glass made right here in Kentucky," he said.
By the end of 2026, all of the cover glass for the iPhone and the Apple
Watch will be manufactured at the Harrodsburg plant, Nelson said Friday.
Corning's Kentucky plant will be totally devoted to manufacturing for
Apple, Corning said.
Regarding Apple's $2.5 billion commitment for the production, Corning
said the details are “proprietary” to the two companies. The commitment
will include revenue, technology and development teams and “new advanced
manufacturing process development,” Corning said.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook and Corning CEO Wendell Weeks walk during a tour
of Corning's iPhone glass manufacturing facility Friday, Sept. 12,
2025, in Harrodsburg, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
 Corning, based in Corning, New York,
says its markets include optical communications, mobile consumer
electronics, display, automotive, solar, semiconductors and life
sciences.
As to whether it will back up Apple’s financial commitment with its
own investment, Corning said it continually invests in its
facilities and will “continue to invest what we need to support
Apple.”
With an eye toward the future, the two companies will open an
innovation center at the Kentucky plant, bringing together
scientists and engineers for world-class research and development,
Nelson said.
The Harrodsburg plant currently has nearly 350 employees, and the
workforce is expected to rise to at least 500 as a result of the
Apple announcement, Corning said.
Longtime plant employee Tommy Shirley said the factory had “ups and
downs” through the years, but the deepening ties with Apple will be
a “huge shot in the arm” for plant workers and the community.
“We’ve prayed for this," he told reporters. “We wanted stability for
our employees. We wanted expansion.”
Shirley, a maintenance worker, has deep family ties to the plant.
His grandfather helped build the factory in 1952. His father started
working there in 1964, and Tommy Shirley followed in his footsteps
starting in 1989. He brimmed with pride Friday while talking about
the Harrodsburg plant's connection to Apple.
“The products that we make, they impact people’s lives all over the
world,” he said. "Nobody can get by without a phone anymore. … We’re
going to make devices right here in my hometown that’s going to
affect people’s lives all over the world.”
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