NINETEEN redundancies were announced yesterday at a North-East technology company with an international market.

Mechetronics, which employed about 130 people at its plant in St Helen Auckland, near Bishop Auckland, makes solenoids which are used for vending machines, cashpoint machines and a range of other applications including lorry airbrakes.

Managing director Mitchell Wolfe blamed the lay offs on a slowdown in the world market.

He said: "After a busy 2002 prompted by the arrival of the Euro and the conversion of vending machines across Europe, we have had a slow start to the year.

"It is unfortunately necessary for the current health of the business to make these cuts, which we hope will be largely met by voluntary redundancies."

The factory will also employ a skeleton staff for the first weekend in April, but Mr Wolfe said prospects for the future are encouraging.

He said: "We have a number of projects due to come to fruition in the near future and we have no concerns at all about the long term future of the business."