THE region's manufacturing companies are set to benefit from a £600,000 boost, thanks to the University of Sunderland.

The Institute of Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice (Amap), based at the university, has been awarded the money by the European Regional Development Fund to help small and medium-sized manufacturers with up to 250 staff.

As part of a package of services, Amap is launching three new projects at workshops in July.

The events will help businesses to become more profitable and cost effective by sharpening their production processes, safeguarding against costly employees injuries at work and bringing product promotion in line with the latest technology.

One project, Virtual Catalogues, on July 3 and 5, will introduce companies to promoting their products via the web using 3D solid modelling.

Stephanie Hargreaves, business development manager at Amap, said: "It's almost like putting the product into the customer's hand."

For more information on that and other projects, or to register, contact Stephanie Hargreaves on 0191-537 2762.