Darwen, Lancashire-based engineering firm WEC Group said it has launched a major recruitment drive after securing a £6 million aerospace order for an Airbus assembly factory in Germany.

The company said it has increased its staff numbers 80% over the past 18 months and now employs more than 800.

And it now has more than 40 vacancies at its sites in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Merseyside and the West Midlands.

Glyn Jones, WEC Group engineering sales manager, said: “We won this work based on our extensive range of state-of-the-art technology and our commitment to quality.

“The new contract will enable us to continue building our order book in the aviation, space and defence industries.”

WEC Group has been involved in Aerospace for many years, supplying jigs and fixtures on a subcontract basis for aircraft assembly facilities across the world.

WEC Machining Ltd director Stephen Fitzpatrick said: “We have identified key areas as part of our ambitious growth strategy, and aerospace is a sector where we can now make great progress as we are ideally located in the centre of the North’s aerospace manufacturing hub.”