October 15, 2025: Walmart U.S. CEO John Farner speaks with CNBC’s Sarah Eisen at the American Investment Forum.
Aaron Cramage | CNBC
Manufacturing is receiving renewed attention from American companies. walmart Some major companies are publicly reaffirming their commitment to domestic production.
At CNBC’s first American Investment Forum, Walmart US CEO John Farner said the company is increasing its investment in American-made products and suppliers, explaining this is part of a long-standing strategic priority.
“Investing in American manufacturing and American operations is certainly great for business, but it’s great for jobs. It’s great for the country, and it helps make our supply chains flexible and dynamic,” Farner said.
Farner said nearly two-thirds of the products Walmart sells are manufactured, grown and assembled in the United States. Walmart is expanding on that front, including building a new beef processing facility in Olathe, Kansas, which is expected to create more than 600 jobs, he said.
“This is a major investment and it is very important that we have a more sustainably sourced, high quality product that we can offer to our customers,” Furner said.
Farner also pointed to specific categories where domestic production is making a comeback, citing a recent partnership with U.S. Antibiotics to “allow products like amoxicillin to be manufactured in the United States.”
Still, global sourcing remains essential to Walmart’s operations.
“We source from all over the world,” Furner said. “Some things that are grown around the world tend to do better in other climates. Coffee might be one example…I think there are a lot of possibilities.”
The increased public attention to U.S. manufacturing comes amid trade policy uncertainty, with tariffs and interest rates still central to how much inventory retailers keep and what prices they set. Furner, for his part, was unsure about the future of the levy.
“When policies change, policies change. The environment changes. That happens. Products change,” he said. “We’re getting to a situation where we’re going to have more rollbacks going into the fall than we did at the beginning of the year, and that’s something we’re proud of.”
Furner said that despite uncertain economic headwinds, Walmart is pushing to lower prices for consumers.
“We want to keep prices as low as possible, as much as possible,” he said. “We have seen resilient customers who choose very wisely what is right for them and their families when shopping.”
