Dive Brief:
- Bausch + Lomb is laying off 119 workers in Missouri because it is transferring production of some surgical products from the plant.
- The layoffs, which Bausch + Lomb disclosed in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice last week, affect manufacturing positions. The job cuts are scheduled to start in August and be completed by mid-December.
- Bausch + Lomb will continue to operate the Missouri production facility but is eliminating jobs as part of the phased transfer.
Dive Insight:
Bausch + Lomb acquired the facility in Kirkwood, Missouri, as part of the $380 million takeover of Storz Instrument that it agreed to in 1997. The acquired company, which is still a Bausch + Lomb brand, sold surgical and diagnostic equipment, lens implants and ophthalmic drugs.
Current Storz ophthalmic surgical implements include precision microsurgical tools, diamond knives and devices customized for individual surgeons.
A Bausch + Lomb spokesperson said the company is moving production of certain surgical products from the Missouri site.
“To manage inventory and ensure uninterrupted product availability, the transfer will occur in phases,” the spokesperson said via email. “Impacted employees will be provided ongoing support throughout the process, including severance packages (pay and benefits) and access to outplacement services.”
Bausch + Lomb ended last year with about 13,000 employees, including 7,000 working in production. The company’s U.S. headcount was about 4,900. Bausch + Lomb reported restructuring, integration and separation costs of $8 million for the first three months of 2026. Severance costs accounted for most of the outlay. Last year, Bausch + Lomb spent $58 million on restructuring, integration and separation.
Surgical was the slowest growing of Bausch + Lomb’s three business units in the first quarter. Sales grew 7% year over year, putting surgical behind vision care’s 8% and pharmaceuticals’ 14%.
At an investor day in November, the company targeted manufacturing and operating efficiencies to achieve its 2028 margin expansion goal. The surgical team outlined plans to reshape its manufacturing and supply network to drive margin expansion.
