Manufacturers have until February 29 to enter the battle for ‘Best UK Business’ at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Manufacturing Excellence Awards (MX) 2008.

MX is free for any firm to enter and is the only best practice benchmarking scheme of its kind to offer an elite panel of industry experts giving up to £20,000 worth of free, impartial advice. Organisations such as the MAS and Barclays Bank will provide representatives to the judging panel which will tour the country, working with entrants to compile a Self Assessment Audit (SAA). In turn, firms receive a free Benchmark Report, worth up to £20,000, which will provide them with invaluable advice on how to improve performance.

There are 13 ‘Oscars’ up for grabs including Sustainable Manufacturing, Product Innovation, Process Innovation, Diversity, Best Finance Management, Best SME and Best Business Education Partnership. Past winners have included Rolls Royce, Ford, Land Rover and BAE Systems.

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Firms interested in entering should visit www.mxawards.org or email h_morgan@imeche.orgb

The 2008 Best Factory Awards programme is just getting underway and for the 17th year in a row, businesses are being invited to enter.

Every entrant receives a free 80-page confidential and detailed benchmarking report from Cranfield School of Management which in itself is a useful guide to know how your performance compares with other companies in your sector. This detailed analysis, containing over 80 tables of comparative information, is often seen by many manufacturers as the most compelling reason to enter. Additionally, you might turn out to be one of the category winners or possibly, winner of the coveted Factory of the Year title.

Entry to the 2008 Awards is free and entry forms must be completed and returned by 31st March 2008. To request an entry form, contact Maggie Bridge

Airbus, which employs thousands of people at its site in Filton, has completed the first ever commercial aircraft flight powered using alternative fuel, a key milestone in its programme examining the environmental impact of civil aviation fuels.

An Airbus A380 aeroplane made the three hour journey from Filton to France with GTL (gas to liquids) – a synthetic bio-fuel processed from gas which is almost completely free of sulphur – powering its first engine. Standard jet fuel was fed into the other three engines.

"Technology and innovation will be the answers to addressing aviation’s impact on the environment," said Ian Godden, the chief executive of the Society of British Aerospace Companies. "The industry is satisfying the ever-increasing demand to fly from customers but it is also meeting their requirements to fly more sustainably."

Tom Enders, Airbus president and CEO, concluded: "This has been a great achievement. Fuel and environment are key challenges aviation is facing and for which technology and international research collaboration open up new horizons. This takes bold cross industry and cross border collaboration and that’s what we are showing today with our groundbreaking first test flight with alternative fuels. It is part and parcel of Airbus’ commitment to providing leadership as an eco-efficient enterprise."

A new report conducted by EEF, the industry body for engineering and manufacturing employers, and Deloitte has shown the manufacturing sector is in a strong position to maximise the business opportunities presented by new climate change combat targets.

"Moving into a low carbon economy will create significant business opportunities and UK industry is well placed to exploit them," said EEF chairman Martin Temple. "However, this will only happen if companies are quick to identify these opportunities and move swiftly to take advantage of them. The government also needs to back industry with a strategy that provides leadership, overcomes the barriers and helps develop the capabilities needed to deliver a low carbon economy."

One area which holds particularly good prospects for industry is low carbon vehicle production – UK manufacturers hold knowledge and expertise essential to the design and development of hybrid vehicle technology.

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UK companies have to compete in a global economy, with customers sourcing products, services and technology on a worldwide basis.

In this climate, British companies can no longer expect to compete on quality, cost or delivery alone. They must find new ways to gain a competitive advantage. Adopting new technology could give you that edge. Another way could be to trade your own technology and expertise.

The role of the South West Innovation Relay Centre (SWIRC) is to bring companies, universities and research institutes together so that they can profit from each other's research, technology and expertise.

Established by the European Commission in 1995, it has grown in to a network of nearly 300 offices, operating throughout the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria and Israel. As part of the Innovation Relay Centre Network we have access to hundreds of technology partnering opportunities through our Technology Watch Service.

Click here to view a selection of current technology partnering opportunities

From 25 – 29 February, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is organising Apprenticeship Week, a special week designed to encourage more employers across the country to run Apprenticeships.

The LSC will aim to highlight the business benefits of Apprenticeships and their place in building careers for young people and skill levels in the economy.

This year alone, approximately 100,000 apprentices in England will complete an Apprenticeship, compared to 40,000 in 2001/02. In the South West, many manufacturers including Airbus, Pendennis Shipyard, Broxton Industries, Bott and Mulberry are already leading the way with successful schemes.

During Apprenticeship Week, the LSC and the entire further education network will be joining forces to organise a series of events across the South West aimed at highlighting how Apprenticeships can help people develop skills and expertise in what is becoming and increasingly fast-moving economy.

For more information about Apprenticeships and Apprenticeship Week, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk.