MT Magazine November/December 2025

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025

FEATURE STORY

15

Apple has built a 250,000-square-foot server manufacturing plant in Houston, which is set to launch mass production in 2026. These servers were previously made outside the United States. Apple’s American Manufacturing Program will enhance its glass production partnership with technology company Corning and develop a smartphone glass production line at a plant in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. When the factory is in full production, it will provide the glass for every iPhone and Apple Watch sold around the world. In addition to Corning, Apple is working closely with nine other suppliers to develop a U.S.-based end-to-end silicon supply chain. Also in August, Apple opened the Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit, which works with small and medium-sized businesses. It is partnering with Michigan State University to provide courses and programs in manufacturing subjects, including machine learning, automation, leveraging data to improve product quality, applying digital technologies, and more. As Sabih Khan, Apple’s chief operating officer, put it: “Apple works with suppliers in all 50 states because we know advanced manufacturing is vital to American innovation and leadership. With this new programming, we’re thrilled to help even more businesses implement smart manufacturing so they can unlock amazing opportunities for their companies and our country.” Capex From the Mag 7 The other tech companies that make up the Mag 7 (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla) have announced their capital expenditures in the upper tens of billions. While not all of this money will directly relate to manufacturing, significant sums will be allocated toward the construction of data centers. That means producing manufactured components for these massive structures. And those structures are being filled with servers, which, of course, need to be manufactured as well. But there are some challenges – like the availability of skilled tradespeople to take on current and new jobs. Where Are the Workers? In July, the Harris Poll’s Corporate Strategy & Reputation Practice fielded a survey on the subject of the perceptions of Americans – from Generation Z (ages 18-28) to baby boomers (61-79). The headline of the results should be this: “91% agree trade

And here’s something that seems absurd: In April, Toyota announced it is investing $88 million in its powertrain plant in West Virginia. An investment of that size would be impressive normally, but compared to those aforementioned billions, it seems rather small – unless, of course, you provide tooling or equipment for the production of hybrid transaxles. (And to be fair, Toyota has already invested $2.8 billion into that plant.) Of course, the investments in U.S. manufacturing aren’t all being done by auto companies. This Is a Really Big Number The investments by these automakers are big, but there are still bigger ones out there. On Aug. 6, 2025, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced, “Today, we’re proud to increase our investments across the United States to $600 billion over four years and launch our new American Manufacturing Program.”

An Apple server plant in Houston will go into full production in 2026. (Image: Apple)