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The “Coolest Thing Made in New Jersey” competition is moving into its next phase after a strong opening round that drew significant engagement statewide.

Manufacturing Counts – a partnership between New Jersey Business & Industry Association and the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program – launched the contest, which is presented by Withum.

Nearly 29,000 votes were cast in the first round, where 72 products competed. Now, that field has narrowed to finalists that will advance to a bracket-style round of 16. Voting in this round is open through April 6, with participants able to vote once per day, per device, after making selections across all matchups.

The competition will continue through multiple rounds before a winner is announced May 21 at the State of the State of Manufacturing event in Trenton.

These products will face off in round of 16 matchups:

Matchup 1

• StreamLiner Series (Zeus Industrial Products, Somerset County)
  Ultra-thin, high-precision liners with walls as small as 0.001 inches, used in advanced industrial and medical applications
• SweepZone Ultrasonic Cleaning System (L&R Manufacturing, Hudson County)
  Multi-frequency ultrasonic system that uses cavitation and soundwaves to thoroughly clean medical and dental instruments

Matchup 2

• Vet-Sonotron (ADM Tronics, Bergen County)
  Non-invasive electrotherapy device that treats musculoskeletal pain in animals without drugs or side effects
• BioSpecMD flooring (Mannington Mills, Salem County)
  Specialized sheet vinyl flooring engineered for health care environments, offering durability, hygiene and ease of maintenance

Matchup 3

• Anti-Gravity Suit (Switlik Survival Products, Mercer County)
  Flight suit that inflates under high G-forces to maintain blood flow and prevent pilot blackout
• Canned Cranberry Sauce (Lassonde, Cumberland County)
  Mass-produced whole berry and jellied cranberry products supplied to store brands nationwide

Matchup 4

• Arctic Mobile Laboratory (SeaBox, Burlington County)
  Rugged, containerized lab designed to operate in extreme conditions as low as -50°F for scientific research
• Edhard Depositing System (Edhard Corp., Warren County)
  Precision portioning equipment widely used in bakeries and food production, including doughnut filling systems

Matchup 5

• Thermit Welding Kit (Orgo-Thermit, Ocean County)
  Specialized kit used to fuse rail tracks into continuous welded rail for improved safety and durability
• U.S. Navy Flight Deck Jersey (Bestwork Industries for the Blind, Camden County)
  Color-coded protective garments that identify aircraft carrier crew roles and provide burn protection

Matchup 6

• ML Series Power Supply (Magna-Power Electronics, Hunterdon County)
  High-capacity, programmable DC power system used in lasers, hydrogen production and space-related testing
• TK-EVO (Hilman Inc., Monmouth County)
  Battery-powered, zero-emissions crawler capable of moving up to 40-ton loads with wireless precision control

Matchup 7

• Waterfall Rail (Phoenix Manufacturing, Monmouth County)
  Decorative railing system that integrates flowing water to create a visual and auditory outdoor feature
• Brewster System (Galileo Environmental, Middlesex County)
  System that converts beverage byproducts like coffee grounds and brewery waste into animal feed or compost

Matchup 8

• Perfecto Jacket (Schott NYC, Essex County)
  The original modern motorcycle jacket, first introduced in 1928 and still manufactured using traditional methods
• Superconductor (Bruker-EST, Middlesex County)
  Advanced material that conducts electricity with zero resistance at extremely low temperatures, enabling MRI machines and other high-tech applications

More information about the competition and how to vote is available here.