U.S. manufacturing comeback is real and good for business

Manufacturing is seeing renewed attention from corporate America, with Walmart among the major companies publicly reaffirming its commitment to domestic production. 

At CNBC’s inaugural Invest in America Forum, Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner said the company is increasing its investments in U.S.-made products and suppliers, describing it as part of a long-standing, strategic priority. 

“Investing in U.S. manufacturing and U.S. operations, sure, it’s great for business, but it’s also great for employment. It’s great for jobs. It’s great for the country, and it helps us with our supply chain being flexible and dynamic,” Furner said. 

Nearly two-thirds of the products Walmart sells are made, grown or assembled in the United States, according to Furner. Walmart is expanding on that front, including a new beef processing facility in Olathe, Kansas, which he said is expected to create over 600 jobs. 

“It’s a big investment, and having quality products that are sourced in a more sustainable way that can deliver to customers is really important,” Furner said. 

Furner also pointed to specific categories where domestic production is being revived, citing a recent partnership with USAntibiotics aimed at “bringing back products like amoxicillin so that they’re made here in the United States.”

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Still, global sourcing remains essential for Walmart’s operations. 

“We source from all around the world,” Furner said. “There are things that are grown around the world that tend to do better in other climates, you know, coffee might be an example … I think there are a lot of possibilities.”

The heightened public focus on U.S. manufacturing comes amid trade policy uncertainty, with tariffs and interest rates remaining central to retailers’ equation of how much inventory to stock and what to set prices at. For his part, Furner was uncertain about the future for the levies. 

“As policies change, they’ll change. Environments will change. That happens. Commodities change,” he said. “We’ve landed in a place where we have more rollbacks going into the fall than we had at the beginning of the year, and that’s something we’re proud of.”

Despite uncertain economic headwinds, Furner said Walmart is pushing to lower prices for consumers. 

“We want to try to keep prices as low as we can, as long as we can,” he said. “We see a resilient customer that makes really smart choices for what’s right for them and their families at the time of shopping.”