komarik,
I believe you should be able to use the "max" integer in your {section} loop.
Try replacing this:
Code:
{section name=mid loop=$manufacturers_menu}
{ if %mid.first% }
with this:
Code:
{section name=mid loop=$manufacturers_menu max=10}
{ if %mid.first% }
http://smarty.php.net/manual/en/language.function.section.php
Hope this helps...