JOBS could be created in the region after electronics company Amtel announced the closure of one of its American factories.
The company, which took over the Siemens plant in North Tyneside in September 2000, is planning to close a plant in Texas.
As a result, much of the equipment and procedures from the factory will be transferred to North Tyneside, creating about 300 jobs over the next 18 months. The site currently employs 320 people.
The news will be seen as a positive step as the semi-conductor industry globally has been in a deep recession.
The transfer would also bring research and development to the site.
A spokesman for the company said Amtel hoped to work with the regional development agency and the Government in relation to that side of the business.
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