What’s the ‘coolest thing made in Illinois’?
Peoria will have representation in at least one final four this weekend, thanks to multi-national manufacturing giant Komatsu.
The company’s mining haul trucks were named among the four finalists in the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association’s Makers Madness contest, seeking to determine the “Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.” The trucks are produced at Komatsu’s manufacturing plant in Peoria and can carry as much as 400 tons on bigger models, along with 4,400 horsepower.
They are also built to federal Environmental Protection Agency standards for fuel emissions, helping to reduce their carbon footprint.
The Komatsu trucks join Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray drone refueler, made in Mascoutah; Enviro Buildings’ Mod Box, a foam insulated modular building made in Quincy; and Mullen’s Imitation French Dressing, made in Palestine, as the four finalists for the award. More than 200 different products were among the initial finalists, with over 70,000 votes cast during the second round of voting last week.
Voting for the final round began Tuesday and will continue through Sunday, with a winner announced on April 10 at the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield.
The winner of the contest will also be spotlighted in an article on the Makers Madness website and in the IMA’s official magazine, The Illinois Manufacturer.
Mark Denzler, IMA’s president and CEO, said that each of the four products spotlighted showed off the innovation of the state’s $580 billion manufacturing sector.
“The amazing products included in this year’s competition showcase the incredible ways our state’s manufacturing sector leads the way in creativity and advanced technological innovation,” Denzler said. “These final top four vote getters provide a great field to choose from. We look forward to seeing which product emerges as this year’s winner to earn the 2024 title of The Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.”