A major Lexington employer is closing down its manufacturing operation.

The Trane manufacturing facility, located at Mercer Road, will shut down in 2019, according to parent company Ingersoll Rand. The closure comes as the company plans to expand its presence in Columbia, South Carolina.

600 Lexington employees will be impacted, but the company says it plans to hire more than 750 in South Carolina. The company also says it plans to fill 500 other manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

Union president Marty Leslie believes the closure could impact more than the 600 employees the company claims. He expects a December 2019 closure.

Temporary employee Ricky Ray thought his job could eventually give him a permanent employment status, but this announcement has created immense uncertainty.

"It's disheartening because I thought I was going to be hired in as a full-time employee sooner or later and that it was going to be a long lasting job -- a job I could retire from, but it seems like I got fooled," Ray said.

Lexington Mayor Jim Gray issued a statement saying the city is ready to assist employees who will be looking for new jobs.

“A plant closing is never good news but thankfully Lexington’s robust economy and low unemployment will help Trane’s employees as they seek new jobs," Gray said in a statement, "I’ve already asked our team to work with the Trane employees so they can bring value to the many strong companies in Lexington.”

Commerce Lexington says Trane is the 12th largest employer in the city. Chief Communications Officer Mark Turner says this is "the largest layoff we can recall in quite some time."

City business leaders say the city expects expansions resulting in more than 1,400 jobs citywide, and they believe that will offset the negative economic impact of the closure.