LINCOLN – The New York City Transit Authority’s modern R211 rail car, manufactured by Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. in Lincoln, Nebraska, has been named the “Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska” for 2022.

Manufacturers, students, and all Nebraskans were invited to vote in a head-to-head, bracket-style matchup of 16 finalists to determine the 2022 winner. Learn about each of the finalists at nemanufacturingalliance.com. In total, the four rounds of voting drew more than 20,500 votes total.

“This was an exciting contest for Nebraska’s manufacturing community. We saw friendly face-offs on social media and employees seeking votes from family, friends and communities,” said Mike Johnson, chief operations officer and vice president of manufacturing for the NE Chamber. “But in the end, we’re all aligned in highlighting the global problem-solving and world-class, high-tech products coming out of our hometowns across Nebraska every day.”

The champion was announced October 11 at the NE Chamber’s Manufacturing Summit in La Vista, where the 16 products featured in the tournament were also invited to display their products.

The contest, hosted by the NE Manufacturing Alliance and powered by the NE Chamber, celebrates the state’s thriving manufacturing industry with Nebraska residents, students, educators, community leaders, manufacturers and especially, the vast number of Nebraskans working in manufacturing every day.

About NE Manufacturing Alliance: Five statewide manufacturing groups have pledged to coordinate efforts to grow manufacturing and STEM workforce in Nebraska over the next decade. Learn more at nemanufacturingalliance.com.