MORE than 100 workers have kept their jobs after Darwen metal fabrication business WEC brought an ailing firm out of administration.

The Junction Street-based company has taken over South Yorkshire metal manufacturing specialist MTL Group, saving 135 jobs.

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Bosses at WEC said the deal, which went through for an undisclosed sum, would allow the South Yorkshire company to move forward with WEC Group as a new, major force in the UK’s fabrication and engineering sector.

MTL Group entered administration on February 2 after suffering the loss of a large overseas defence contract.

But it remained trading as administrators EY worked hard to secure its future.

MTL Group’s sales director Karl Stewart, finance director Howard Kellett and operations director Darren Bradley remain in the senior management team following the creation of the new partnership with WEC Group.

Wayne Wild, commercial director of WEC, said: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement which will save the jobs of more than 130 workers in South Yorkshire.

“The restructuring deal we have completed will see us work in partnership with MTL Group’s previous directors and shareholders to grow and develop the business both for the benefit of its customers and its staff.

“We are looking forward to continuing to work with the current customer base while securing new orders.”

The addition of MTL Group more than doubles WEC’s engineering capacity and it will now have almost 600 staff working across eight sites right across Lancashire, Yorkshire and Merseyside.

The partnership creates the largest laser cutting operation in the UK’s fabrication and engineering sector.

WEC Group, with its headquarters in Darwen, has a turnover of more than £35 million and MTL Group currently has an order book of more than £20million.

MTL operates from a 300,000 sq ft capacity factory in Rotherham.

That more than doubles WEC Group’s overall manufacturing space.

And bosses say it will also increase its purchasing power and its ability to handle larger metal cutting work.

Steve Hartley, WEC Group founder and managing director, said: “In 35 years of trading we have always grown the business in a strategic and sustainable way.

“Adding MTL Group to our family is a logical move for us and for MTL.

“And we look forward to the future with confidence.”