Cookware manufacturer Tramontina USA Inc. is preparing to lay off 108 employees as it closes the final assembly department at its Sugar Land facility, according to a Texas Workforce Commission notice. In a letter dated July 9, the company—located at 12955 W. Airport Blvd., Sugar Land—told the TWC, the city of Sugar Land and Fort Bend County of its intention to close the facility and lay off employees in September. The 108-year-old Brazilian company established a U.S. presence in Houston in 1986, making cookware, cutlery, kitchen accessories and housewares. The company moved to Sugar Land in 1998. City of Sugar Land financial reports show Tramontina had about 400 employees as of September 2018 and is one of the city’s largest employers. It has more than 8,000 employees worldwide, according to the company. Tramontina expects to complete the department closure and layoffs by Sept. 30. Other media outlets have reported the company is also closing its Manitowoc, Wisconsin, plant, eliminating 145 jobs there. Tramontina opened that facility in 2005, according to the Herald Times Reporter.