Taiwanese container shipping firm Yang Ming (America) Corp. will permanently close its Houston customer service centre, laying off 118 employees as part of a phased wind-down, reports the Houston Chronicle.

The layoffs will begin on November and continue through 15 March 2026, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification letter filed with the Texas Workforce Commission on 8 October.

The company cited changing business needs for the closure, stating that operations at the Briarpark Drive facility will permanently cease. The letter, signed by Vice President of Human Resources Kathy Chang, confirmed that affected employees are non-unionized and have no bumping rights.

Some staff may be offered relocation to Yang Ming's New Jersey office. The company, one of Taiwan's largest carriers, operates a fleet of over 90 vessels and has long used Houston to support Gulf Coast operations.

The move adds to a wave of mass layoffs across Texas this autumn. DSTV Inc recently announced 169 job cuts at its Irving visa processing site, while Texas Instruments plans to shed 163 roles in Dallas amid strategic realignment.