Apple centre will offer free advanced manufacturing training to US SMEs
14 August 2026 
The computer-maker Apple has opened an Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) in Texas that will offer free training and educational sessions for SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises), giving them direct experience of state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, and tools they need to accelerate innovation. The AMC is located in the same Houston facility that builds Apple’s AI servers and will start manufacturing its Mac mini computers later this year.
At the site – Apple’s second manufacturing educational facility in the US – experts will teach visitors many of the innovative processes that the company uses to make its products.
At the opening, Apple CEO, Tim Cook, said: “In less than nine months, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into this Houston facility. We stood up a factory, started production, and shipped the first advanced AI servers off the line.
“Today, we’re thrilled to open our new Advanced Manufacturing Centre – a place where businesses, workers, and students can learn the same innovative processes that we use to make Apple’s most groundbreaking products. And we’re pleased to begin Mac mini production later this year. We believe in American workers and American ingenuity, and we are moving at an incredible pace because we want to build more than great products. We want to build the future of American manufacturing.”
“This opening is an important step in Apple delivering on its promise to bring its manufacturing back to America,” added US Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick – a guest at the ceremony. “With this Advanced Manufacturing Centre, Apple will equip American workers with the skills they need to lead the next generation of technology.”
Inside the 20,000ft2 (1,858m2) centre, Apple experts will share their knowledge with businesses and entrepreneurs to help accelerate smart manufacturing in America. Curriculum topics will range from advanced manufacturing principles for final assembly, and design considerations for PCB assembly, to interactive workshops that will use a representative production facility and equipment. As it expands, the AMC will offer hands-on training to local college students, equipping the next generation of American manufacturing workers with critical skills.
The first cohort of SME leaders spent the opening day in hands-on training covering smart manufacturing techniques such as machine-learning-driven quality control and advanced automation. They were taught how to identify and adapt to production challenges in real time, engage with the lab’s holographic table and advanced factory-floor equipment, and gain hands-on experience assembling and laser-etching products.
The AMC builds on the work of the Apple Manufacturing Academy, which the company opened last year in Detroit, and has already helped almost 1,000 American workers, students and entrepreneurs to learn smart manufacturing techniques and integrate AI into their production processes. The Academy’s virtual programming also offers flexible, on-demand learning covering topics such as automation, quality control optimisation, and machine learning with vision, as well as professional development training.
Apple announced earlier this year that it will bring production of its Mac mini to the Houston site. The company shipped its first AI servers less than a year after identifying the location. Since committing $600bn last year, Apple and its American Manufacturing Program partners say they have invested in designing and producing custom silicon and advanced components in the US, demonstrating their commitment to strengthening the country’s advanced manufacturing sector.
US SMEs interested in applying for sessions at the Advanced Manufacturing Center can sign up online to be notified.
