Apple is awarding $10 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to COPAN Diagnostics, a company making sample collection kits for COVID-19 coronavirus testing.
This funding will let COPAN “rapidly accelerate” its supply of collection kits for hospitals across the United States, helping it expand production to more than a million kits per week by early July.
The expansion, which will create more than 50 new jobs, will involve COPAN moving to a new facility in Southern California. Apple is helping design the advanced equipment used in the facility.
“We feel a deep sense of responsibility to do everything we can to help medical workers, patients, and communities support the global response to COVID-19,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, in a statement published Thursday. “COPAN is one of the world’s most innovative manufacturers of sample collection kits for COVID-19 testing, and we’re thrilled to partner with them so they can expand as we work to address this critical issue for our nation. I couldn’t be prouder of our teams for bringing all of their energy, passion, and innovative spirit to supporting the country’s COVID-19 response.”
Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund
Apple created its Advanced Manufacturing Fund in 2017. The $5 billion pot is an Apple initiative aimed at boosting high-tech manufacturing jobs in the United States.
“We asked ourselves, ‘How can we get more people to do advanced manufacturing in the United States?’” Tim Cook said during an interview with Mad Money’s Jim Cramer back when the fund was first announced.
Previous recipients of the funding have included the likes of Corning, the company which makes the glass used in iPhone displays. Corning received $200 million to expand its capabilities. In total, Apple has so far invested more than $1 billion of its Advanced Manufacturing Fund.
This is the first time that Apple has used the fund to support the COVID-19 response. However, it’s far from the first time Apple has donated to coronavirus relief efforts. It has already donated tens of millions to organizations like Global Citizen and America’s Food Fund.
Apple has also designed, tested, and distributed almost 10 million face masks, and sourced more than 30 million. Most recently, it developed a contact-tracing API with Google to help track the spread of the pandemic.
