The UK's manufacturing technology sector ended the year in a bullish mood with the latest figures from the MTA showing another jump in orders. Both the levels of inquiries and order intake were up when compared to the previous month's results.

Global engineering company Renishaw plc, which has recovered strongly since the worldwide recession, has announced a significant programme of student recruitment for Summer 2011, offering a mix of graduate jobs, apprenticeships, one-year industrial placements and summer placements, totalling some 125 positions. The company is additionally inviting applications from students at local schools for 40 one-week work experience opportunities.

The UK's Manufacturing Technologies Association, MTA, in collaboration with the sector's Trade Associations, has launched a new and unique Awards competition. The Awards will celebrate excellence in the manufacturing sector in the UK and aim to strengthen the engineering agenda - both socially and politically - and to demonstrate the significance of theindustry, and its heritage, to the UK.

The China Petroleum Materials Corporation in Xi'an has placed an order with Zwick/Roell for the largest pendulum impact tester ever built. With a height of more than 6.5 meters and total weight of more than 90 tonnes (pendulum including base), it will be used for testing pipe materials for pipelines according to ASTM standard E436 and API standard RP5L3.

Manufacturers expect production to rise solidly in the next three months on the back of strengthening demand at home and abroad, the CBI said today. The CBI's latest monthly Industrial Trends Survey revealed that 32% of manufacturers are predicting a rise in output in the coming quarter, and 19% a fall. The resulting balance of +13% is back in line with expectations earlier in the year, and a marked improvement on November's expectation of a balance of +4%.