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Released April 15, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Since its founding in Arkansas in the early 1960s, Walmart Incorporated (NYSE:WMT) (Bentonville, Arkansas) has grown into one of the U.S.' top retailers for both in-store and online purchases. The company has more than 5,200 U.S. stores and even more abroad, and with 2.1 million employees, ranks as one of the world's top employers. Such a large presence demands continued change and growth, and the company has the project activity that shows this. Industrial Info is tracking nearly $5.4 billion in active Walmart projects throughout the world, with most of this investment set for the U.S., which accounts for more than $4.3 billion worth of active projects, many of which are under construction and some set for the future.
One of the sectors on which Walmart is spending most is perhaps obvious: the distribution and warehousing sector, which is important for Walmart to maintain inventories at its brick-and-mortar stores as well as providing a supply base for the company's extensive home delivery services. One of the largest such projects involves the construction of a high-tech distribution center in Belvidere, Illinois, about 75 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. "Project Yukon," as it is known, will use the latest equipment and systems to handle fresh produce, eggs, dairy products, frozen goods and flowers, using a high degree of automation to ensure reliable product delivery at area stores. The 1.2 million-square-foot facility is expected to begin operating in mid-2027. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Food & Beverage Project Database can click here for more details on the project.
Walmart also is targeting perishable items in a large expansion of its distribution center near Auburn, Indiana. Late last year, general contractor Brinkmann Constructors (Chesterfield, Missouri) broke ground for the 602,000-square-foot refrigerated building, which will more than double the size of the existing Auburn operation. The project is expected to be completed toward the end of next year, and Walmart is considering expanding the facility even more in the future. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
While Walmart's largest U.S. projects involve goods distribution, the company also is expanding its role further up the food chain in the form of milk- and beef-processing facilities. Walmart is building dairy facilities in Valdosta, Georgia, and Robinson, Texas. The Georgia plant is set to be completed later this year, followed by the Texas plant in 2026. Both plants will produce a range of gallon and half-gallon sizes of fluid milk with varying fat content as well as chocolate milk for the company's Great Value and Sam's Club's Member's Mark brands. Each plant will create about 400 jobs and serve about 750 stores, with the Valdosta plant servicing the southeastern U.S. and the Robinson plant supplying stores throughout the South, including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and parts of Arkansas and Mississippi. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on the Georgia and Texas dairy projects.
Walmart is constructing a beef-processing plant in Olathe, Kansas, on the southwestern outskirts of Kansas City. The plant will package and distribute a selection of Angus cuts from Sustainable Beef LLC (North Platte, Nebraska), in which Walmart owns a stake, to serve customers across the Midwest. The facility will take big cuts of beef from Sustainable Beef and turn them into single-serving, case-ready cuts. NPR states, "The facility will handle the kind of work that grocery store butchers do--at factory scale." The plant is expected to be completed in 2026. Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
But Walmart provides more than food. A project in Republic, Missouri, is geared to streamline the company's pharmacy services. Walmart aims to establish a network of "central fill" locations that will use robotics and staff to process prescription orders for individual Walmart stores, which previously have been filling their own prescriptions in-house. The medications will be sent from the facility in Republic (as well as other "central fill" plants) to store pharmacies to be picked up by customers. The idea is to free up in-store pharmacists to be more available for customers and patients. The 130,000-square-foot Missouri facility is expected to begin operations late next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Pharmaceutical & Biotech Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
Many smaller projects involve increasing the role that automation plays at the company's distribution centers. Industrial Info is tracking about $95 million worth of Walmart projects that are planned to increase automation at existing facilities, in addition to grassroot facilities incorporating automation from the start. Industrial Info is tracking projects increasing automation at existing facilities in Florida, Nebraska, Nevada, Tennessee, Louisiana and Wisconsin. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for many of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
One of the sectors on which Walmart is spending most is perhaps obvious: the distribution and warehousing sector, which is important for Walmart to maintain inventories at its brick-and-mortar stores as well as providing a supply base for the company's extensive home delivery services. One of the largest such projects involves the construction of a high-tech distribution center in Belvidere, Illinois, about 75 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. "Project Yukon," as it is known, will use the latest equipment and systems to handle fresh produce, eggs, dairy products, frozen goods and flowers, using a high degree of automation to ensure reliable product delivery at area stores. The 1.2 million-square-foot facility is expected to begin operating in mid-2027. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Food & Beverage Project Database can click here for more details on the project.
Walmart also is targeting perishable items in a large expansion of its distribution center near Auburn, Indiana. Late last year, general contractor Brinkmann Constructors (Chesterfield, Missouri) broke ground for the 602,000-square-foot refrigerated building, which will more than double the size of the existing Auburn operation. The project is expected to be completed toward the end of next year, and Walmart is considering expanding the facility even more in the future. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
While Walmart's largest U.S. projects involve goods distribution, the company also is expanding its role further up the food chain in the form of milk- and beef-processing facilities. Walmart is building dairy facilities in Valdosta, Georgia, and Robinson, Texas. The Georgia plant is set to be completed later this year, followed by the Texas plant in 2026. Both plants will produce a range of gallon and half-gallon sizes of fluid milk with varying fat content as well as chocolate milk for the company's Great Value and Sam's Club's Member's Mark brands. Each plant will create about 400 jobs and serve about 750 stores, with the Valdosta plant servicing the southeastern U.S. and the Robinson plant supplying stores throughout the South, including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and parts of Arkansas and Mississippi. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on the Georgia and Texas dairy projects.
Walmart is constructing a beef-processing plant in Olathe, Kansas, on the southwestern outskirts of Kansas City. The plant will package and distribute a selection of Angus cuts from Sustainable Beef LLC (North Platte, Nebraska), in which Walmart owns a stake, to serve customers across the Midwest. The facility will take big cuts of beef from Sustainable Beef and turn them into single-serving, case-ready cuts. NPR states, "The facility will handle the kind of work that grocery store butchers do--at factory scale." The plant is expected to be completed in 2026. Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
But Walmart provides more than food. A project in Republic, Missouri, is geared to streamline the company's pharmacy services. Walmart aims to establish a network of "central fill" locations that will use robotics and staff to process prescription orders for individual Walmart stores, which previously have been filling their own prescriptions in-house. The medications will be sent from the facility in Republic (as well as other "central fill" plants) to store pharmacies to be picked up by customers. The idea is to free up in-store pharmacists to be more available for customers and patients. The 130,000-square-foot Missouri facility is expected to begin operations late next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Pharmaceutical & Biotech Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
Many smaller projects involve increasing the role that automation plays at the company's distribution centers. Industrial Info is tracking about $95 million worth of Walmart projects that are planned to increase automation at existing facilities, in addition to grassroot facilities incorporating automation from the start. Industrial Info is tracking projects increasing automation at existing facilities in Florida, Nebraska, Nevada, Tennessee, Louisiana and Wisconsin. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for many of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
