Business
Walmart and Alquist strike landmark deal, jump-starting 3D-printed commercial real estate
Construction company Alquist 3D worked with Walmart last year to build a nearly 8,000-square-foot 3D printed addition to its store in Athens, Tennessee.
Alquist
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Walmart partnered with construction company Alquist 3D last year to build an almost 8,000-square-foot addition to its store in Athens, Tennessee, for online order pickup and delivery services. It is the largest 3D-printed commercial structure in the U.S. and, despite a bumpy start, a key proof of concept for the technology’s commercial viability.
Alquist, based in Greeley, Colorado, just announced it will now print more than a dozen new Walmart buildings, as well as buildings for other commercial retailers, in what is arguably the largest-scale commercial real estate deployment of this technology, which has mostly been used in residential construction so far.
As part of that deal, Sika, one of the world’s largest construction materials companies, with a heavy focus on sustainability, will provide materials to Alquist for all future 3D-printed projects and licensees. This will streamline Alquist’s national pipeline, lower material and freight costs, and accelerate development of more sustainable mixes for large-scale 3D-printed construction — including the commercial projects rolling out with Walmart, according to Alquist.
“This collaboration positions Sika at the forefront of next-generation construction, opening new markets and creating long-term growth opportunities,” said Noah Callantine, 3D concrete printing engineer and field service specialist with Sika.
It is a clear turning point in CRE construction, which has been notoriously slow to modernize. The new technology has started to grow in the homebuilding market, but has been far slower in commercial construction, simply due to the size of the printers needed to create larger buildings.
Alquist, which designs and builds the larger-scale printers, as well as develops the code and software to operate them, started in the residential sector. It is now partnering with a large equipment rental dealer and a full-service general contractor to scale the technology commercially nationwide. Doing so helps to lower the high cost of materials, as well as the labor, which needs to be both trained and local, according to Alquist.
“The way to bring prices down [for] anything is to get volume, and as you get volume, you get the attention of suppliers. They see that it matters, and the more that they make, the cheaper that they can bring their supply chain down,” said Patrick Callahan, CEO of Alquist.
Growing pains
Construction company Alquist 3D worked with Walmart last year to build a nearly 8,000-square-foot 3D printed addition to its store in Athens, Tennessee.
Alquist
Callahan’s background is in defense technology, not construction, and he has positioned Alquist as a tech company. He said he follows the mandate of company founder Zach Mannheimer to find ways to build residential and commercial buildings and infrastructure faster, cheaper, better and greener.
He admitted the first project in Athens took far too long, as they worked out the kinks in both managing the materials and implementing the technology to print their first commercial building.
“It was a sort of classic Silicon Valley failing forward job,” Callahan said. “We were not part of the design process. They changed permitting. … The general contractor that we fell under met us about a week before we started, and nobody had ever done this before.”
The second project, a 5,000-square-foot Walmart pickup center in Huntsville, Alabama, took just seven days to complete.
3D labor
While the projects take far fewer workers, they need to be more highly trained than typical construction trades. Alquist partners with trade schools for its curriculum, introducing robotics and green materials. Callahan said that has been more attractive to what has been a severely reduced construction labor market in recent years.
“You’re not necessarily throwing rocks around up on a scaffolding, but using robotics in a safe, clean environment,” Callahan said. “We’ve seen a lot of what used to be traditional construction folks that kind of pushed back, they’re now leaning in.”
Growing competition
Icon Build, the largest residential 3D printing technology company, is also starting to dip its toes into commercial construction. It has completed a hotel project and is now in talks with potential commercial partners, including for construction of data centers. Its forthcoming Titan printer will be able to handle those larger-scale projects.
“I think once that’s out in the world, showing what it can do, verifying the cost estimations that we’re making to customers, I think that’ll probably open a lot of people’s eyes,” said Jason Ballard, co-founder and CEO of Icon. “I think we should expect to see a lot of interest in alternative ways of construction, data centers and other kinds of commercial things as well.”
But Ballard sees more headwinds than Callahan, particularly when it comes to labor. He said data centers are already “sucking up a lot of the labor in the market.” He added that 3D printing for commercial buildings will have similar pressures as residential to build more affordably and more quickly relative to conventional construction methods.
That said, Ballard said next year Icon will be manufacturing at least one of the new Titan printers each month, setting itself up to scale construction dramatically. Those printers will be able to create most types of industrial commercial buildings, although they are not ready for high rises.
“If we do what I expect that we’re going to be able to do next year and show, both on the revenue side, the cost side, the technology advancement side — I think we’ll grow over 300% next year, and we were already pretty busy this year,” Ballard said. “I think the world’s going to start to say, perhaps there are real opportunities to do better, beyond the pilot scale.”
Business
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Business
India’s First Vande Bharat Sleeper To Run Between Patna And New Delhi: 1,000 Kms In 8 Hours, 160 Kmph Speed, Luxury Amenities – Reports
Delhi-Patna Vande Bharat Sleeper: Indian Railways passengers have been waiting eagerly for the new luxurious Vande Bharat Sleeper Express, which has been in the final stages of roll out and is being given final touches at the BEML factory. Passengers travelling between Patna and New Delhi are set to get a completely new travel experience as the much-awaited Vande Bharat Sleeper Train is expected to begin operations this month. The train promises the speed of Tejas, the comfort of Rajdhani, and the advanced technology of Vande Bharat — all in a sleeper configuration for the first time.
Designed for high-speed night travel, the train is being positioned as a premium option for long-distance passengers.
Trial Runs to Begin Soon
Two rakes of the Vande Bharat Sleeper Train are being manufactured at the BEML factory in Bengaluru. The first rake is expected to be ready and dispatched by December 12, after which trial runs will begin on the Patna–New Delhi route, reported Dainik Bhaskar. The train will cover around 1,000 kms in around eight hours.
Railways plan to start regular services before the New Year. The train is expected to run six days a week, departing Patna in the evening and arriving in Delhi the next morning. The return service will follow the same overnight schedule, reported Prabhat Khabar.
Speed and Performance Highlights
The train is designed to run at an operational speed of 160 km/h, with a maximum speed capability of 180 km/h. According to railway officials, the ride will be so stable that even tea kept in a cup will not spill while the train is running at full speed.
One of its key strengths is rapid acceleration and braking, allowing it to cover distances faster and reduce time spent stopping and restarting at stations.
Coach Composition and Seating Capacity
The Vande Bharat Sleeper Train will have 16 coaches with a total capacity of 827 passengers:
* 11 coaches of AC 3-tier (611 berths)
* 4 coaches of AC 2-tier (188 berths)
* 1 coach of AC 1st Class AC (24 berths)
Railways may increase the number of coaches in the future based on passenger demand. Ticket prices are expected to be around the fare of the Rajdhani Express.
Current Status of Vande Bharat Trains in India
At present, 164 chair-car Vande Bharat Express trains are operating across India. These semi-high-speed trains are manufactured at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai and have received strong passenger response.
Due to growing demand for comfortable long-distance night travel, the sleeper variant has been developed, with the Patna–Delhi route likely to be among the first to get this service.
What the Railway Minister Said
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently told the Lok Sabha that the sleeper version of the Vande Bharat train has been indigenously designed for medium and long-distance overnight journeys.
He said that two rakes have been produced and are currently undergoing trials and commissioning.
Key Features and Facilities in Vande Bharat Sleeper Train
The interior of the train is designed to provide a premium airline-like and hotel-style experience. Major facilities include:
Passenger Comfort Features
* USB-integrated reading lamps for night-time reading
* Real-time passenger information system with audio and video updates
* High-speed Wi-Fi and onboard infotainment system
* Modular pantry unit for freshly prepared onboard meals
* Touch-free bio-vacuum toilets
* Hot water shower facility in First AC coaches
* Ergonomic ladders for upper berths
* PRM-friendly berths and toilets for elderly and differently-abled passengers
Advanced Safety and Security Systems
* KAVACH anti-collision technology to prevent train accidents
* Integrated emergency talk-back units for direct communication with train crew
* Fully sealed gangways between coaches to prevent dust and enhance safety
* Automatic plug doors that close before departure
* CCTV surveillance in every coach to deter theft and ensure passenger safety
Timings of the Vande Bharat Sleeper Train
The train will run six days a week:
* Evening departure from Patna, Morning arrival in New Delhi
* Evening departure from New Delhi, Morning arrival in Patna
The Vande Bharat Sleeper has been specially designed to offer high speed, superior comfort, and a premium travel experience for overnight journeys.
Rebates paid by drugs firms to the NHS are being cut by more than a third next year following the recent tariff deal with the US.
The Government said the rebate costs for companies – the proportion of revenues from new branded medicine sales that drugs firms must pay back into the NHS – would fall to 14.5% in 2026 from 22.9% this year.
It comes after the UK-US tariff deal earlier this month, which will see zero tariffs on British pharmaceutical products imported into the US in return for the NHS raising spending on medicines.
As part of the deal, it was also agreed that repayment rates on NHS drug prices would be capped at 15% for the first three years.
This is the amount that drugs firms pay back to the NHS to ensure it does not overspend its allocated budget for branded medicines.
The Government said it is able to offset the lower rebate thanks to falling costs for medicines, in part driven by drugs coming off patent.
But Downing Street admitted soon after the trade deal that the agreement to increase the threshold for what the NHS can pay for new medicines by 25% will cost it around £1 billion extra a year by 2029.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said the “high and unpredictable” rebate costs had been a “significant drag on UK life science competitiveness in recent years”.
Richard Torbett, chief executive of the ABPI, said: “It’s good that the amount of revenue companies will need to pay to the UK government has come down in 2026.”
He added: “However, this is only the first step in returning the UK to a more competitive position.
“Payment rates remain much higher than in similar countries, and there is work to do to accelerate the NHS’s adoption and use of cost-effective medicines to improve patient care.”
The Department for Health said the lower rebate costs should also make the UK an attractive place for investment by pharma firms, clinical trials and the early launch of new medicines.
Health innovation minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said that together with the tariff deal, “this will help secure and drive investment in the sector, ensuring Britain remains a powerhouse for life sciences for the benefit of our patients, our NHS and our economy”.
Science minister Lord Vallance added: “We need our brilliant life sciences companies to discover and get important new medicines to patients right across the NHS and to create jobs in the UK.
“This new rate helps achieve that.”
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