蘋果供應商保密協議或被公佈

The confidential deals Apple strikes with suppliers have been dragged into public view by the bankruptcy last week of a key component maker in Arizona.

上週，蘋果(Apple)在亞利桑那州的一家關鍵組件製造商申請破產，導致蘋果與供應商間的保密協議被拖進公衆視野。

Details of Apple’s non-disclosure agreements, which suppliers are not allowed to acknowledge, have emerged in court filings by GT Advanced Technologies, including the $50m penalty the iPhone maker imposes for any leak of product information.

蘋果的保密協議細節（協議要求供應商不得供認這些細節）已出現在GT Advanced Technologies提交法院的文件中，這些細節包括，若產品信息有任何泄漏，蘋果將對泄密方處以5000萬美元罰款。

Ahead of a court hearing toMorrow, GT’s lawyers are arguing that even more information about its relationship with Apple should be published, in the interests of creditors and shareholders.

明天法院將舉行庭審。GT的律師在開庭前主張，爲債權人和股東的利益起見，應將GT與蘋果關係的更多細節公之於衆。

In filings last week, the manufacturer called its supplier agreement with Apple “oppressive and burdensome”. That marked a sudden about-turn by the Nasdaq-listed company, which a year ago was enthusing to shareholders how the partnership would transform it. Creditors and bondholders are together owed more than $500m by GT.

GT在上週提交給法院的文件中稱，其與蘋果達成的供應商協議是“壓迫性的和苛刻的”。此事標誌着這家納斯達克(Nasdaq)上市公司的態度突然發生了180度的轉變。一年前，該公司還在興奮地向股東表示與蘋果的合作關係會讓公司發生多大的改觀。GT現在欠債權人和債券持有人合計超過5億美元。

With the exact circumstances leading up to GT’s sudden filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection unclear, other companies in Apple’s supply chain are watching the case with nervous interest.

現在還不清楚在GT依據美國《破產法》第11章申請破產保護前到底發生了什麼，蘋果供應鏈中的其他公司正在緊張地關注此案。

Most of Apple’s suppliers are in Asia but under chief executive Tim Cook, it has worked to expand its US supply chain. Its $3,000 Mac Pro has been manufactured in Texas since December.

蘋果的供應商大多在亞洲，但在首席執行官蒂姆•庫克(Tim Cook)的領導下，蘋果已努力擴大其在美國的供應鏈。去年12月以來，該公司售價3000美元的Mac Pro一直是在得克薩斯州製造的。

Last November, Apple said it would lend GT $578m to help it set up a sapphire manufacturing facility in Arizona. Though neither party would comment on what the synthetic sapphire would be used for, analysts concluded that it was probably destined to replace the hardened glass used in the iPhone’s screen. Apple has since said its Watch accessory will also come with a sapphire screen.

去年11月，蘋果曾表示它會借給GT 5.78億美元，幫助後者在亞利桑那州建立一家藍寶石製造工廠。雖然雙方都不願就這種人造藍寶石的用途置評，但分析師推斷，它很可能會被用來取代iPhone屏幕所用的強化玻璃。蘋果之後表示，Apple Watch也將使用藍寶石屏。

Encouraged by tax breaks, both companies had trumpeted the partnership for creating hundreds of jobs.

受稅收減免措施激勵，這兩家公司都曾大肆宣揚這一合作關係會創造數百個就業崗位。

Under the agreement with GT, Apple was to design and build a facility near Phoenix, and lease it to GT, drawing power from a purpose-built solar array.

根據與GT達成的協議，蘋果要在鳳凰城附近設計建造一家工廠並出租給GT，其電力將來自專爲該廠建造的太陽能電池陣。

But barely a year later, GT filed for bankruptcy. This came as a shock to Wall Street, which sold down its stock by more than 90 per cent in a day, and Apple itself.

但剛過了一年，GT就申請破產。這件事對華爾街和蘋果自身都構成了衝擊。華爾街在一天內拋出了90%以上的GT股票。

“We are focused on preserving jobs in Arizona following GT’s surprising decision and we will continue to work with state and local officials as we consider our next steps,” Apple said.

蘋果表示：“在GT作出這一驚人決定後，我們的工作重點在於保住亞利桑那州的就業崗位。我們將繼續與該州及當地官員合作，共同思考後續行動。”

While GT is looking to blame its deal with Apple for its financial difficulties, it already faces a class-action lawsuit from angry shareholders who claim that it “misrepresented and/or concealed” its financial position, its ability to meet Apple’s requirements and its progress on manufacturing the sapphire.

雖然GT打算將其財務困境歸罪於與蘋果的協議，但它已遭到憤怒股東的集體訴訟。這些股東稱，GT“歪曲和/或隱瞞”自身財務狀況、滿足蘋果要求的能力以及製造藍寶石的進展。

GT did not respond to requests for comment.

GT沒有回覆記者的置評請求。

As recently as August, GT said in an earnings call that it was confident it would meet the operational targets and receive its final prepayment of $139m, which had been due by the end of this month. But when the iPhone 6 was revealed last month without mention of a sapphire screen, GT’s stock tumbled.

就在今年8月，GT還在財報電話會議上表示，它相信自己能夠實現經營目標和收到1.39億美元的最終預付款——這筆款項應於本月底前給付。但蘋果上月發佈iPhone 6時未提到藍寶石屏，GT股價隨後暴跌。

Few suppliers are able to achieve a higher profit margin than Apple itself, which reported gross margins of 39.4 per cent in its June quarter. Long-term partners have become accustomed to its demanding financial terms, in part because they have been able to ride on the back of Apple’s rapid growth.

很少有供應商能實現高於蘋果自身的利潤率。蘋果財報顯示，在截至今年6月的這個季度，該公司的毛利率爲39.4%。蘋果的長期合作伙伴已對其苛刻的財務條款習以爲常，部分原因在於它們能從蘋果的高速增長中撈到好處。

GT appears to be the first of its thousands of suppliers to run into such public financial distress. It is already beginning to wind down the sapphire manufacturing operations related to Apple products, which it said cost it $1m a day, leading to the loss of 890 jobs, out of 1,110 full-time employees.

在蘋果的數千家供應商當中，GT似乎成爲了首家遭遇這種公開財務困境的公司。GT已開始逐步關停與蘋果產品有關的藍寶石製造業務，它表示，此舉造成的損失達每天100萬美元，還導致1110名全職員工中有890人被裁員。

GT hopes that lifting the veil of secrecy that Apple has imposed will help its case. It asked the court for permission to file unredacted details of its situation “in the interest of their creditors, equity holders and other stakeholders, as well as to ensure an open, transparent and fair process”.

GT希望，揭下蘋果硬罩在雙方協議上的神祕面紗能有利於自己的案子。GT請求法院“爲了GT債權人、股權持有人及其他利益相關者的利益，以及爲了確保程序的公開、透明和公平”，批准它無保留地在文件中披露其詳細情況。

In court filings, GT said that Apple’s non-disclosure agreements “provide that each breach of the confidentiality obligations will require GTAT Corp to pay liquidated damages to Apple in an amount of $50m per occurrence”.

GT在提交給法院的文件中表示，蘋果的保密協議“規定，GTAT公司每違反一次保密義務，就須向蘋果支付5000萬美元違約金。”

The case could break legal ground as judges must weigh the rights of corporate confidentiality against those of creditors in a bankrupt company.

本案可能開創法律界的一個先例，因爲法官必須就企業的保密權利與破產企業債權人的權利作出權衡。

GT says Apple’s non-disclosure agreements give the iPhone maker “disproportionate power”.

GT表示，蘋果的保密協議賦予這家iPhone製造商“過分的權力”。

“GTAT also believes that Congress’s express desire for public access in bankruptcy cases . . . outweighs contractual demands for secrecy,” it said in its request to unseal certain filings. “However, absent express direction from the court, GTAT will not risk exposing itself to potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in additional liabilities.” The judge approved its request, setting the stage for further revelations this week.

GT請求公開它提交的某些文件，它表示：“GTAT還認爲，美國國會關於破產案應向公衆透明的明確願望……比合同的保密要求更重要。不過，如果法院不給出明確的指示，GTAT不會冒險讓自身背上可能達數億美元的額外債務。”法官批准了GT的請求，這爲本週披露更多的信息奠定了基礎。