A NEW Engineering Employers' Federation association has been formed for the North-west.

The merger between EEF North West (450 members) and EEF Lancashire (285) has gone ahead after being approved by member companies and the Certification Office, an organisation which handles the affairs of employers' associations. It means that EEF Lancashire, which started life in 1887 as the Bolton and District Engineering Employers' Association, has ceased to exist in its own right. The Bolton office in Heritage House, Chorley New Road closed at the end of last year and the operation was transferred to the EEF North West headquarters in Glazebrook, Warrington. The newly-merged organisation, which retains the name EEF North West, is based in Warrington and has other offices in Birkenhead, St Asaph in North Wales and Preston.

It is planned to move the Preston office to bigger premises in the town and incorporate training facilities.

Chief Executive John Malam said: "The merger will allow EEF to expand and improve its range of business services and to provide a more powerful voice for the engineering and manufacturing sector within the region.

"EEF Lancashire and EEF North West have been working closely in recent years and there are a great many opportunities for us to increase the impact of our public affairs programme.

"This is particularly relevant as the regional debate steps up a gear with the publication of the White Paper on regional government."

He added: "This move builds on the links between the associations and will allow us to concentrate our experience and resources more effectively to develop the services we offer.

"Our strength is the very close links that EEF has to its members and we will be working with them to establish how to use the merger to better meet the demands of their business."

Mr Malam said the ballot of members had been nearly 95 per cent in favour and the outlook was positive.

The fact that there was now only one EEF body in the region would make it easier to deal with important organisations such as the North West Regional Development Agency

The EEF nationally looks after nearly 6,000 engineering, manufacturing and technology-based companies of all sizes.