SECURING a contract estimated to be worth around £10million a year sealed the deal for WEC Group to be hailed winners at the Lancashire Telegraph Business Awards.

The engineering and fabrication services company’s eye for a business opportunity resulted in the Darwen firm taking this year’s Deal of the Year title.

Based in Junction Street, WEC Group has proved itself as a major player in the metal fabrication industry when it set itself up for a record-breaking year, with the high-profile deal estimated to be worth around £10million.

Bosses at the 326 staff firm, which was established in 1979, negotiated its largest ever contract to supply Leeds-based bus firm Optare.

And as a result, the bus frame products it will create should see turnover soar.

Managing director Steve Hartley described the award as a ‘special one’.

By securing this deal, WEC has bought a new 27,000 sq ft factory next to Optare’s Sherburn bus assembly operation.

It has set up a new company, Sherburn Metalwork Ltd which will solely supply Optare.

The deal could see 600 bus structures built in one year and the volume is expected to rise to 900 to 1,200 next year once extra shifts are implemented.

As well as the income generated by the contract, Mr Hartley was proud to have safeguarded 50 jobs on the back of it.

Picking up the award WEC group managing director Steve Hartley said: “This is a special one, but it is the best one so far.

“We started the year with 303 employees but thanks to the deal we have 375 employees.

"We have grown massively, we have grown more than 30 per cent.

"We have grown to over £35million compared to £26million last year and next year we are going to better it.

“And we have safeguarded 50 jobs that would have been lost without this deal.

“The award is tremendous, and we are looking forward to be back next year.”