CONSERVATORY specialist Amdega made a handful of redundancies yesterday but said it was taking on an additional 20 factory floor staff.

Seven office workers were laid off as part of the Darlington company's restructuring programme, which also saw redundancies earlier this year.

However, the firm is taking on 20 factory workers, with some coming from MFI after its factory in Stockton, Teesside, ends production tomorrow.

Managing director Colin Taylor said: "We have made seven people redundant in managerial and administrative roles as part of the restructure. However, on the factory floor side, we will have taken on about 20 people by the end of this month, so employee levels are actually going up."

The company, on the Faverdale Industrial Estate, announced in January it was restructuring to integrate its mass market Portland conservatory division with its top-of-the-range Amdega business. Following investment, the business relies less on technicians and office staff and more on factory operatives.

The GMB union has supported the business throughout its restructure and regional organiser Jackie Woodall is confident about its future. She said: "The company has looked at other methods of manufacturing and in some areas has had to de-skill. The company is doing its best to get its way out of trouble."

Production at MFI's Stockton factory, on the Preston Farm Industrial Estate, ends tomorrow with the loss of 533 jobs. The company, which made losses of £600,000 last year against £54.4m profits the year before, announced the closure in March. Last week, MFI revealed it had received takeover offers for "all or part" of its ailing retail business.