OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Dunkirk’s Wells ice cream location will be making substantial reductions in 2023, the company reported Thursday.

Wells Enterprises will begin laying off nearly 320 employees at its ice cream plant in Dunkirk at the end of the year.

The Iowa-based Wells confirmed in July that it planned to “scale back operations” next year by reducing its production lines from about 20 to five. At the time, the company said it would continue normal operations at the Dunkirk plant — located at 1 Ice Cream Dr. — for the remainder of this year.

As part of the federally required Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, commonly known as WARN notices, Wells said 319 employees will be affected by the plant layoff in Dunkirk. According to the notice, posted Tuesday by the New York State Department of Labor, separation of employees will begin Dec. 31 or the “14-day period commencing on that date.”

Wells did not specify in July how many employees would be impacted by the reduction in production lines. It’s also not clear where in the plant the affected employees work.

In a statement to the OBSERVER, the company said: “Wells Enterprises is always evaluating and evolving our business strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of our organization and to meet consumer demand for our products. As market trends shift in our industry, we adapt and optimize our operations to ensure continued success of our business. We recently completed a comprehensive review of our manufacturing footprint and our needs to support our overall business strategy.”

Wells Enterprises is the largest family-owned ice cream and frozen treat manufacturer in the country. Locally, employees are part of Teamsters Local 264, an affiliate of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. A call to Local 264 for comment on the layoffs was not immediately returned Wednesday.