Walmart is deepening its push into 3D-printed construction, teaming with several commercial retail partners and technology providers to roll out more than a dozen new projects across the country. The expansion marks one of the most aggressive moves yet toward mainstreaming 3D concrete printing in U.S. commercial development.
According to a Nov. 24 announcement, Walmart and a coalition of other retailers will work with Greeley, Colorado-based Alquist to deliver a broad slate of 3D-printed structures that vary in size, scope and application. Alquist said the upcoming projects reflect a major inflection point where the industry is shifting from experimental pilots to full-scale implementation.
To support this jump in demand, Alquist has formalized a strategic partnership with construction and equipment rental dealer Hugg & Hall and full-service general contractor FMGI. Under this model, FMGI will own and lease Alquist A1X printers — with financing and equipment servicing provided by Hugg & Hall — enabling large-scale 3D projects to be executed at retail sites nationwide.
The first project under the new collaboration will launch in December at Walmart store No. 338 in Lamar, Missouri. It continues Walmart’s emerging 3D-printing portfolio. Alquist previously delivered a nearly 8,000-square-foot, 20-foot-high store expansion in Athens, Tennessee, in September 2024, in addition to another Alabama expansion in Huntsville.
FMGI President and CEO Darin Ross said the team sees 3D concrete printing as a practical solution with immediate on-site advantages. “What drew us to Alquist was how practical this technology really is, it’s faster to mobilize, cleaner on-site and delivers consistent quality in every print,” Ross said. “For us, this partnership is about transforming how large-scale projects actually get done.”
Underpinning the program is Alquist’s robotic printing system, which constructs structural walls and infrastructure components with greater speed and material consistency than traditional building approaches. FMGI notes on its website that the system allows AI-trained robots to operate around-the-clock with a small team of five human operators, creating a scalable labor model at a time when contractors nationwide are contending with significant workforce shortages.
The multi-retailer rollout underscores how rapidly 3D-printed construction is evolving beyond novelty projects. With Walmart and other retail partners committing to a multi-project pipeline, Alquist’s technology is being positioned not just as an innovation — but as an operational tool capable of reshaping construction delivery timelines, site logistics, and long-term efficiency.
As additional sites are identified and the first Missouri project gets underway, industry observers will be watching to see how quickly these deployments accelerate and what they signal for the future of commercial-scale 3D printing across the U.S.
Originally reported by Matthew Thibault in Construction Dive.
