Apple to open factory in Mesa, Ariz.

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An attendee looks at the new Mac Pro during an Apple announcement at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on Oct. 22, 2013 in San Francisco.

By Hayley Tsukayama, Updated: Tuesday, November 5, 8:05 AM E-mail the writer

Apple will open a manufacturing plant in Mesa, Ariz., amid a wider push to bring some manufacturing jobs back to the United States. The office ofArizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) announced Monday that the plant will initially employ at least 700 workers, with more jobs to come. The building of the plant, the news release said, will also generate approximately 1,300 construction and associated jobs.

Apple could not immediately be reached for comment. Brewer’s office did not specify which products will be made at the Mesa factory. But a news release from GT Advanced Technologies, also issued Monday, indicated that it will produce “sapphire” glass for Apple at a plant in Arizona. This material is what Apple uses to protect the covers on its cameras, and the fingerprint sensors on the iPhone 5s, TechCrunch reported.

Apple is one of many tech companies that have expressed interest in moving some production back to the United States. Google’s Motorola Mobility unit, for example, touts the fact that itsMoto X smartphone is made in a Texas facility among the device’s main selling points.

The tech titan first announced in December that it would bring some of its manufacturing back to the United States. (The firm does use some American companies in its supply chain, but assembly has largely been outsourced to East Asia.)

The firm proved its seriousness with its recently introduced Mac Pro — a $3,000 desktop computer — that bears the inscription “Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in the U.S.A.” The Mac Pro goes on sale in December.

Analysts have said that Apple’s efforts to increase its U.S. manufacturing footprint look good politically and give the company a chance to build manufacturing skills closer to home.

At an Apple launch event last month, Yankee Group analyst Carl Howe said that while the U.S. work on the Mac Pro represents just a small portion of Apple’s supply chain, he does think it’s primed to grow.

“It’s a low-volume part, but that’s where you start,” he said.

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