How we know: One article from PLOT Daily (AI for CRE Collective), which contractor FMGI also hosts on its website. The cost and time figures are FMGI's; there's no Walmart statement.
ConstructionCase study
Walmart's 3D-printed store additions grow to five, a trade article says, with 30 more planned
A trade article says contractors have completed five 3D-printed Walmart additions in four states, and FMGI says its projects cut costs about 15%. Walmart itself hasn't said anything we could find.
Sept. 2, 2026 — An article hosted by Walmart contractor FMGI says the retailer's 3D-printed store additions have reached five, in Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas, with more than 30 more projects lined up through 2027. Here's what happened, what it cost, and what went wrong.
Cost and outcome (as of Sept. 2, 2026)
- Outcome: Five 3D-printed additions completed over two years, per the article; more than 30 more projects in the pipeline through 2027. (PLOT Daily, Sept. 2, 2026)
- Cost: FMGI says its Walmart projects cut construction costs by about 15% and production time by roughly a third. The article notes these are "FMGI's own figures." (PLOT Daily, Sept. 2, 2026)
- Walmart's word: We found no Walmart release or statement. None of these figures are confirmed by the retailer.
Where this comes from
The source is an article by the "Editorial Desk" of PLOT Daily, from the AI for CRE Collective, dated Sept. 2, 2026. Contractor FMGI hosts a copy on its own website. It says contractors working for Walmart have completed five 3D-printed additions over the past two years in Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas, and that FMGI and printer maker Alquist 3D have more than 30 more projects in the pipeline through 2027, including standalone fuel stations and pickup and delivery facilities. (PLOT Daily, Sept. 2, 2026)
We treat all of it as FMGI's account. We couldn't find any statement from Walmart.
How the first jobs went, by FMGI's account
The first major project, per the article, was in Athens, Tennessee, in 2024: an 8,000-square-foot addition, about 20 feet high, to a Walmart Supercenter, built for online pickup and delivery. FMGI called it the largest commercial 3D-printed structure in the U.S. at the time. The article calls the job "very much a learning exercise": crews had to fit printing into a conventional schedule, and high temperatures caused problems for the concrete mix and the equipment. (PLOT Daily, Sept. 2, 2026)
At an Alabama Supercenter that followed, FMGI and Alquist printed the walls for a 5,000-square-foot addition in seven days, which took 75 printing hours, five workers and two robots, the article says. It adds that the Athens job took "considerably longer" than the Alabama one. (PLOT Daily, Sept. 2, 2026)
What's printed and what isn't
Only the walls are printed. The roofs, mechanical and electrical systems, doors, finishes and "much of the remaining construction" are still done conventionally, according to the article. FMGI says its robots can run with a crew of about five people. FMGI now owns four Alquist printing rigs rather than relying on Alquist to supply equipment for each job. (PLOT Daily, Sept. 2, 2026)
What's next, by FMGI's account
The article says FMGI and Alquist are in final negotiations on a roughly 50,000-square-foot grocery store that would use printed construction. If it's built as planned, the article says, it could become the world's largest 3D-printed building. (PLOT Daily, Sept. 2, 2026)
What went wrong
- Heat. High temperatures caused trouble for the concrete mix and the equipment on the first Athens job, the article says. (PLOT Daily, Sept. 2, 2026)
- Slow first job. Athens took considerably longer than the Alabama addition that followed. (PLOT Daily, Sept. 2, 2026)
- Unverified savings. The 15% cost and one-third time figures are FMGI's own, the article acknowledges. It argues that Walmart continuing the program shows the approach works; that's the article's inference, not a Walmart statement. (PLOT Daily, Sept. 2, 2026)
- What we don't know yet: whether Walmart confirms any of this, where the five stores are beyond the four states, what each addition cost, and whether the grocery-store deal closes.
Our follow-up question for Walmart
Can Walmart confirm the five printed additions and the roughly 15% cost savings its contractor reports, and is the 50,000 sq ft grocery store going ahead?
Sources
- PLOT Daily (Editorial Desk), “Walmart Scales 3D Printing Across Its Store Network,” Sept. 2, 2026. plotdaily.com
- The same article as hosted by FMGI (PDF), secondary copy. fmgi-inc.com
© 2026 Real World Wire. Written October 29, 2026.