Drop in demand results in furloughs at Dentsply Sirona

Dentsply Sirona announced furloughed 383 employees at its York County manufacturing facilities in response to a drop in demand for dental supplies across the country, according to a WARN notice filed with the state Department of Labor & Industry.

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based dentistry equipment manufacturer furloughed employees at its manufacturing facilities at 470 College Avenue, and 1301 Smile Way in York after temporarily closing both locations.

The furloughs are expected to be temporary, according to the company.

The new string of furloughs impacted 138 of 173 workers at Dentsply Sirona’s Smile Way facility, and 245 of 405 at its College Avenue location.

WARN notices, short for Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices, must be filed with the state by any business with more than 100 employees that plans to lay off or furlough workers.

Mia Belk, senior associate general counsel for Dentsply Sirona, attributed the furloughs to the COVID-19 pandemic and an overall drop in demand for dental services across the country, according to the notice.

“Companies engaged in the dental supply industry have suffered unprecedented losses due to (the) COVID 19 pandemic,” Belk wrote. “Consequently, Dentsply Sirona has temporarily suspended operations and placed employees at the above referenced locations on furlough until the demand for dental services recovers enough to restart the company’s manufacturing/supply chain operations and thereby recall our temporarily displaced workers.”

Dentsply, previously headquartered in York, announced last year that it would be moving its headquarters to North Carolina, but would maintain its manufacturing presence in the city.