Cardinal Brands Inc. is closing the last vestiges of its once-substantial manufacturing operations in Topeka, ceasing production in the city where the company’s roots were established 118 years ago.

Cardinal Brands, with headquarters at 643 Mass. in downtown Lawrence, said it would combine its remaining production efforts in Topeka with an existing research-and-development center in Independence, Mo.

The move will cost Topeka about 60 jobs, and give the company’s 15 employees in Independence a new work address. The two operations will be combined into a new center somewhere in the Kansas City metro area by the end of March 2008, said Phil Jones, the company’s vice president for human resources.

The transition begins in April, as Cardinal continues to move the remainder of its other manufacturing equipment in Topeka to factories in Mexico, just across the Texas border. That ongoing move will eliminate another 65 Cardinal jobs by the end of this summer in Topeka, where Cardinal’s predecessor – Adams Business Forms – had as many as 350 employees eight years ago.

“Our marketplace continues to rapidly change,” said Jeff Morgan, Cardinal’s executive vice president for operations, in a statement. “We have made several tough decisions regarding our Topeka operation over the last two years. We know this will be difficult for employees.”

Cardinal will keep about 15 engineers, information technology professionals and purchasing personnel in Topeka, Jones said. They will remain at 200 S.W. Jackson, occupying a small portion of the 200,000-square-foot complex in downtown Topeka.

The bulk of the Topeka complex likely will be put up for sale, Jones said.

Cardinal’s announcement came a week after Payless ShoeSource said it would be closing its 850,000-square-foot Topeka distribution center in the summer of 2008, a move that will put up to 550 people out of work.

Cardinal established its Lawrence headquarters soon after the company’s formation with the November 2000 merger of Topeka-based Adams and St. Louis-based Eagle OPG.

Cardinal’s Lawrence headquarters has 51 employees, including corporate management, marketing, accounting, sales and other support services.

“We plan to stay here,” Jones said.

Cardinal designs, develops and manufactures business, consumer and hobby products that include shipping forms, business etiquette cards, three-ring binders, scrapbooking materials and dozens of others. The private company does not disclose sales, but Jones acknowledged that “we have been experiencing modest sales increases over the past several years.”

The company has 1,600 employees overall, working in North America and Europe.

Adams was founded in 1889 by three brothers inside their Topeka kitchen, cranking up a foot-powered press on their sister’s wedding day.