SIXTY jobs have been saved at a Kidderminster aluminium foundry after the company was taken over in a rescue deal.

Amtek UK has been brought out of administration by the Liberty House Group for an "undisclosed sum" helping save around 550 jobs of automotive workers.

Amtek UK has two plants in the West Midlands - including a 30,000 square metre plant in Kidderminster - and one at Witham, in Essex, with a total of around 550 employees.

The 60-worker Kidderminster plant makes aluminium die castings. It also contains a foundry supplying materials to the Witham and Coventry plants.

During the past three years, the business has benefitted from a multi-million pound investment programme in new equipment, including an advanced casting facility at Kidderminster.

Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman of the Liberty House Group, said: "Despite current challenges, this operation is a valuable asset and a vital part of the UK and EU automotive supply chain.

"We are very pleased to use our resources and extensive experience in the automotive sector to rescue this enterprise and enable it to recover and reach its true potential.

"We greatly value the specialist skills of the workforce and we will be working closely with them and with key customers to get the business back on sound footing."

The business will be now known as Liberty Aluminium Technologies. It manufactures aluminium die castings and undertakes a range of complex processes including machining, assembly and testing of parts used in engines and powertrain components. Almost all of its products go directly to leading vehicle manufacturers in the UK and EU.