Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce announced on Wednesday the Top 16 products advancing in the 11th annual Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest.
The 16 finalists are among more than 100 Wisconsin-made nominated products and they will go head-to-head in Manufacturing Madness, a tournament-style bracket competition.
Voting in this first round of the Manufacturing Madness tournament began at 8 a.m. Thursday and continues through 5 p.m. on Oct. 6.
“Wisconsin manufacturers continue to lead through innovation, producing world-class products that make a difference both here and around the globe,” Kurt R. Bauer, president/CEO of WMC, said in a press release.
“This contest celebrates the creativity, craftsmanship and problem-solving that fuel our state’s manufacturing success.”
The Top 16 products, their respective seeds in the tournament, and the companies that make them are as follows:
- #1 Seed: 4800XPC Electric Rope Shovel, Komatsu, Milwaukee
- #2 Seed: Comfort Unite Back Support, Permobil Inc., New Berlin
- #3 Seed: Gravely ZT HD STEALTH 60, Ariens Co., Brillion
- #4 Seed: CliC Smart Privacy Glass, Cardinal IG, Tomah
- #5 Seed: ORION Cellular Endpoint, Badger Meter, Racine
- #6 Seed: Meltaway Candy Bars, Seroogy’s Chocolates, De Pere
- #7 Seed: 4-Post FreeSpan Shelving, Spacesaver Corp., Fort Atkinson
- #8 Seed: LU-Series Lightweight Electric Torque Pump, Enerpac Tool Group, Milwaukee
- #9 Seed: Giddings & Lewis Vertical Turning Centers, Fives Giddings & Lewis, Fond du Lac
- #10 Seed: Aspex Printed Wall Protection, Inpro, Muskego
- #11 Seed: Barrel Collection, Muza Sheet Metal Co., Oshkosh
- #12 Seed: Custom Pool Cues, Jacoby Custom Cues, Nekoosa
- #13 Seed: Scag Turf Tiger, Metalcraft of Mayville, Mayville
- #14 Seed: Carmex, Carma Laboratories, Inc., Franklin
- #15 Seed: M157 Small Arms Fire Control, Vortex, Barneveld
- #16 Seed: Help Alert Staff Protection Pendant, RF Technologies, Brookfield
Manufacturers, consumers and the public are encouraged to vote once per day per email address to help determine the Top 8, which will be announced Oct. 7.
The ultimate winner of the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin will be announced at WMC’s Business Day event in Madison on Oct. 27.
