New Indiana Milk Processing Plant Frequently Asked Questions

What are Indiana and Walmart announcing today?

This is exciting news for Indiana’s dairy industry, people in Fort Wayne and our customers across the region. Walmart is committed to constructing a new, highly efficient milk processing plant that will leverage the latest technology to provide our customers with high quality milk at low prices for their families. This facility is expected to create more than 200 jobs. 

Why is this important?

In addition to creating good paying jobs with benefits and supporting the local dairy industry, the new facility will ensure families can find wholesome white and chocolate milk at the most competitive prices in the region when they shop at Walmart and Sam’s Club.  In addition, operating our own plant with the latest technology and leveraging our world-class logistics system will speed the delivery of milk to stores and extend the shelf life of this very important grocery staple.

How many of your stores will this serve? Does this include Sam’s Club?

Once fully operational, this plant is expected to serve more than 600 Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Northern Kentucky

Why did you pick Indiana?

Indiana is centrally located for a large group of our stores and clubs, has a good transportation infrastructure to reach our locations and has an abundance of milk from local farmers in the state. In fact, the Indiana Dairy Association has a strategic plan for increasing the volume of dairy processing and creating market opportunities for expanded dairy production. We see an opportunity for our everyday low cost operating model to help customers save money while also creating new jobs and supporting the local dairy industry.

Last year we opened a 1.2 million square foot ecommerce fulfillment center in Plainfield that created more than 300 jobs. That facility supports our rapidly growing online business and is part of a sophisticated fulfillment network that allows us to get closer to customers while delivering online orders fast and at a lower cost.   

Will Walmart introduce a new private milk label or new items at this facility?

No. The facility will produce great tasting whole, 2%, 1% and skim milk as well as 1% chocolate milk for our Great Value brand in Walmart stores and Member's Mark brand at Sam’s Club.

What is the size and location of the facility?

We’re currently planning a 250,000 square foot facility in Fort Wayne, IN. That would make this milk plant one of the largest processors of fluid milk in the industry. The facility will be located at 2322 W. Pleasant Center Road. We’ll share more information as we finalize designs and the location.

How many people will be employed here? Full-time or part-time jobs? What will they be paid?

Walmart is creating more than 200 jobs with this new plant. This includes more than 130 associate positions at the facility that will receive Walmart’s competitive wages and benefits. Additional jobs are expected in transportation and other areas.

When will construction begin? When will it open?

As with any construction project, a number of variables can affect the timeline. Our goal is to begin construction this summer and we anticipate opening the facility in the summer of 2017. 

What are the wages and benefits for these new jobs?

We’re still in the early days of this project. The average starting wage for positions at this new facility will be more than $19 an hour.  More details about wages and benefits will be shared as we build the facility and begin hiring. Walmart is committed to investing in our associates they can grow their careers. In fact, more than 1.2 million Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club associates recently received a pay increase under the second phase of our two-year, $2.7 billion investment in workers.