Vote Now! Laurens-Made ZF Transmission Competes for Title of Coolest Thing Made in South Carolina
March 4, 2025
Voting for the Top 16 products in the 4th Annual Manufacturing Madness contest is now open and will conclude on Thursday, March 6. Each person can vote once per day during this period.
From February 10-20, manufacturers and the public submitted 151 product nominations from across the state. During the initial voting period, February 24-27, more than 71,000 votes were cast to determine the Top 16 products that will now move forward in a head-to-head bracket-style competition.
Voting is now open at scmanufacturingmadness.com, where the public will decide the winner of each matchup. Each week, the field will be cut in half until only four remain, culminating in the selection of the ultimate winner.
The winning product will be revealed at an official ceremony at the South Carolina Statehouse on March 26, where Governor Henry McMaster will announce it.
2025 Top 16 Finalists
These innovative and impactful products represent the best of South Carolina manufacturing:
- 787 Dreamliner – The Boeing Company, Charleston
- Onyka – Eurokera North America, Greenville
- Next-Gen USPS Delivery Vehicle – Oshkosh Defense, Spartanburg
- XDR4 Mining Tire – Michelin, Lexington
- Hard Empty Capsule – Lonza, Greenwood
- ClimateCool Smartbed – Sleep Number, Richland
- BMW X5 – BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC, Spartanburg
- Residential Fire Sprinklers – The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co., Inc., Pickens
- High Noon Sun Sips – Gallo Winery, Chester
- Bespoke Front Load Washer – Samsung, Newberry
- 9-Speed Automatic Transmission – ZF Transmissions, Laurens
- FN M249 – FN America, LLC, Richland
- 670LXS – Scout Boats, Dorchester
- Milo’s Tea & Lemonades – Milo’s Tea Company, Spartanburg
- Dixie Paper Plates – Georgia-Pacific, Darlington
- Fiber Optic Cable – AFL, Spartanburg
Created by the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance (SCMA), the Manufacturing Madness competition was launched in 2022 to celebrate the ingenuity, impact, and excellence of manufacturing and the products made in South Carolina.
Previous winners include:
- 2024: Talon 1000R-4 Fox Live Valve (Honda, Timmonsville)
- 2023: F-16 Fighting Falcon (Lockheed Martin, Greenville)
- 2022: Steel (Nucor Steel Berkeley, Huger)
The contest is sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.
Key Dates & Remaining Voting Rounds
- March 3-6 – Top 16 voting
- March 10-13 – Top 8 voting
- March 17-20 – Final voting round
- March 26 – Winner announced at the South Carolina Statehouse
For more information and to vote, visit scmanufacturingmadness.com.
