The top-16 companies competing to win "Coolest Thing Made in California" competition will be narrowed to four candidates over the coming weeks. Image contributed

The California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA) is narrowing its bracket for the “Coolest Thing Made in California” contest.

Eight products from California companies received thousands of votes to move to the next round of voting for the “Top 4” products.

The “Coolest Thing Made in California” highlights the crucial role manufacturers play in California’s economy, which employs 1.3 million people and pumps $310 billion to the state’s annual GDP.

There are over 30,000 manufacturers across California. In the upcoming round, with voting taking place from Sept. 2 to Sept 5, Lockheed Martin will face Phenix Technology Inc., Stratolaunch will face Northrop Grumman, Pivotal will face Ryvid, and Zoox will face Amai Inc.

The current contenders for the “Coolest Thing Made in California” includes Lockheed Martin’s experimental Aircraft X-59, Phenix Technology Inc.’s the First Due fire helmet, Stratolaunch’s Talon-A, an autonomous, reusable testbed that makes flight testing more accessible and affordable, and Northrop Grumman’s James Webb Space Telescope.

Last year, High Sierra Showerheads, a showerhead manufacturer based in Coarsegold made it as high as the top-16 voting round.

Founded In 2010, High Sierra Showerheads was nominated for its Half Dome Rain Shower Head.

The top-four voting round will occur from Sept. 9 to Sept. 12. The winner will be announced on Oct. 18 at the CMTA’s MakingCA Conference during Manufacturing Month.