Apple has announced a partnership with a company operating in Fort Worth. The deal is part of a $500 million agreement with MP Materials based in Las Vegas.
Apple will buy materials rare earth magnets which are developed from recycled material at MP Materials' plant in Fort Worth.
"If you look at Fort Worth and our history, we don't follow, we lead," says Robert Allen, president and chief executive of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership. "That goes all the way back to the cattle drives and our founding as a fort defending Texas."
Allen says the materials will be mined in California and sent to Fort Worth to produce magnets for Apple products which will then be shipped to Apple. He says Perot Field at Alliance Airport's role as an inland port has helped Fort Worth emerge as a business hub with connections by air, rail and road.
"All of those things come back to being on the cutting edge, leading not following. That's exactly where Fort Worth, Alliance and Hillwood want to be and I think where we do our best work," he says. "We say it all the time it takes a team, takes a village. That's something we do exceedingly well in Fort Worth."
Apple and MP Materials say the project will create "dozens of new jobs in advanced marketing and R&D." The companies say they will provide training and hope to open the plant in 2027.
Allen says production moving to Fort Worth reshores jobs and can ensure a reliable supply chain for electronics.
"Producing these rare earth magnets will not only keep us safe but also power communication devices, cell phones and computers for years to come," he says. "It's really exciting news for Fort Worth and North Texas."