Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), the state’s chamber of commerce and largest business trade association, has announced the 2021 winner of its sixth annual Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin competition. The results of the contest were announced on October 14 during WMC’s annual Business Day conference.
This year, the winning product was the 140 Ton Navy Crane made by Broadwind Heavy Fabrications and Konecranes in Manitowoc. The crane, weighing 2.7 million pounds, was made for the U.S. Navy and shipped via barge from Manitowoc to Portsmouth, NH earlier this year. Other finalists this year included Caterpillar Global Mining in South Milwaukee, Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac, and Kwik Trip in La Crosse.
The Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin contest was started in 2016 to showcase the wide variety of products that are manufactured in the state. The winner is announced in October each year, which is recognized by the state as Manufacturing Month in Wisconsin. About one in six workers in Wisconsin are employed in manufacturing.