Updated at 6:53 p.m.

Keurig Dr Pepper is laying off 118 Vermont employees as part of a recently finalized merger, Department of Labor Commissioner Lindsay Kurrle said Thursday.

Those laid off will be paid until January 4, according to Kurrle.

Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper Snapple Group merged in July. At the time, the new company said it expected to save $600 million over three years due to "synergies." A total of 500 job cuts are expected nationwide.

The coffee and beverage giant has facilities in Waterbury, Williston and Essex. Most of the job losses — 82 — are tied to the closure of Keurig's early production center in Waterbury, Kurrle said. The center was used for manufacturing and research and development, Kurrle said.

Keurig spokeswoman Katie Gilroy confirmed the layoffs, which she said were part of implementing a “new organizational structure as a key step of our integration process.”

Keurig Green Mountain employed about 1,200 people in Vermont in January 2018. But Thursday's cuts were the latest in a series of downsizings for what was once one of Vermont's most iconic companies. The company laid off 53 employees, including 35 in Vermont, in May. Keurig let 200 employees go in 2015, laid off 108 in June 2016 and another 40 in June 2017.

Keurig Dr Pepper officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Keurig makes the eponymous single-serving beverage makers and includes Green Mountain Coffee Roasters in its empire. The company also includes drink brands such as 7UP, A&W, Mott’s and Sunkist.

Kurrle said Keurig officials notified her of the layoffs on Thursday, well in advance of legal reporting deadlines. The Department of Labor plans to hold workshops for the laid-off workers at Keurig facilities, Kurrle said.

"Any displaced worker is one too many, but 118 definitely is a big number," Kurrle said in an interview. "This is news that we at the department are disappointed to hear. But I will say Keurig has been proactive with the Department of Labor in trying to establish a plan where we can assist workers."

The Department of Labor requires notice of layoffs if the cuts affect more than 50 Vermont employees.