Top 16 Announced in Contest to Pick Coolest Thing Made in SC

Sixteen products advance in the 3^rd Annual Manufacturing Madness contest presented by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. The winner will earn the title of “Coolest Thing Made in SC.”

Nominations were accepted February 12-22 resulting in 166 nominated products. The public voted February 26-29 for their favorites, and more than 56,000 votes were cast to determine which of the Top 16 vote-getters would advance to the bracket.

Voters can visit scmanufacturingmadness.com to select a winner from each pairing in the bracket, cutting the field in half each week until the ultimate winner is selected from the Top 4. The winner will be announced in a ceremony at the Statehouse on March 28th.

The 2024 Top 16 finalists are:

1. Next-Gen USPS Delivery Vehicle, Oshkosh Defense, Spartanburg
2. Honda Talon 1000R-4 Fox Live Valve, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. South Carolina Manufacturing, Florence
3. TGIF Baby Back Ribs, Spartanburg Meat Processing Company, Inc., Spartanburg
4. 9-Speed Automatic Transmission, ZF Transmissions, Laurens
5. BMW XM Plug-In Hybrid, BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC, Spartanburg
6. High Noon Sun Sips, E. & J. Gallo Winery, Chester
7. Counterbalance Trucks, KION North America, Dorchester
8. M240 Series Machine Guns, FN Manufacturing, LLC, Richland
9. Dixie Paper Plates, Georgia-Pacific, Darlington
10. Fire Sprinklers, Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Inc., Pickens
11. Kazoobie Kazoos, Kazoobie Kazoos, LLC, Beaufort
12. 670LXS, Scout Boats, Dorchester
13. Michelin Earthmover Mining Tire, Michelin, Lexington
14. Reishi, MycoWorks, Union
15. Sleep Number Climate360 Smart Bed, Sleep Number, Richland
16. Signa Hero MRI Scanner, GE HealthCare, Florence

Created by the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance, the Manufacturing Madness: The Coolest Thing Made in SC contest debuted in 2022. The F-16 Fighting Falcon made by Lockheed Martin in Greenville won the contest in 2023, and Steel made by Nucor Steel Berkeley in Huger won the inaugural contest in 2022.

Remaining Contest Timeline:
March 4-7: Top 16 bracket voting
March 11-14: Top 8 bracket voting
March 18-21: Final round of bracket voting
March 28: Winner announced

 

South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance
The South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance is the only statewide organization dedicated exclusively to the interests of manufacturers. Its mission is to strengthen and advance South Carolina manufacturing by advocating for our members, fostering a world-class workforce, and bringing together manufacturers to connect, share, and solve industry challenges. The SCMA membership is comprised of more than 200 manufacturing companies that represent more than 100,000 associates in South Carolina.