The WEC Group which specialises in small to large fabrication, laser cutting, CNC Machining, waterjet cutting, and heavy engineering has revealed it has secured a deal with MTL Group, saving 130 jobs. MTL Group went into administration in early February after suffering the loss of a large overseas defence contract. The deal allows South Yorkshire based steel engineering specialist, which has a strong order book, to move forward with the same management team. The addition of MTL Group more than doubles WEC's engineering capacity. It will now have almost 600 staff working across five sites in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Merseyside. The deal also creates the largest laser cutting operation in the UK's fabrication and engineering sector, with 18 laser cutting machines servicing our customers. Wayne Wild, commercial director of WEC Group, said: "We are delighted to have reached an agreement which will save the jobs of more than 130 workers in South Yorkshire. "This move greatly increases our metal purchasing power, and it will also allow us to offer MTL Group's expertise to our growing customer base whilst giving its customers access to the work the wider WEC Group can deliver for them." MTL Group's manufacturing facility includes laser cutting, high definition plasma cutting, waterjet cutting, gas profile cutting, robotic plasma tube cutting and robotic bending. It also carries out CNC machining, fabrication with robotics, and has semi-automated and manual welding stations. Founded in 1995, MTL Group process and fabricate 30,000 tonnes of steel annually. The contract manufacturing specialist is capable of handling all sizes and types of work from carbon steel to aluminium and it works in a range of sectors including defence and security, construction and quarrying, offshore and renewable energy, recycling and rail.