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British microchip plant faces closure after Apple pulls the plug

Coherent issues last-time-buy notice as loss of tech giant puts factory in jeopardy

The Coherent facility in Newton Aycliffe was originally built by Fujitsu and described as the world’s most advanced microelectronics plant when it was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1991. It has since cycled through a succession of owners including a microchip firm backed by Roman Abramovich before it was sold to II-VI, a US company that later merged with Coherent. The iPhone’s Face ID system features an array of sensors and cameras used to unlock the phone and authenticate payments, as well as produce more accurate photos and augmented reality effects.

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