There were nearly 75 products entered — and more than 75,000 votes cast. So, you
know the winner of the Coolest Thing Made in New Jersey competition was legit.
But the selection of the antigravity suit by Switlik Survival Products was more than just a
victory for the Trenton-based company — it doubled as a showcase of the sector’s depth
and durability in New Jersey.
So said Matt Walsh, Partner and Practice Leader – Industrial and Consumer Products
at Withum, which sponsored the second annual event created by the N.J.
Manufacturing Extension Program and the N.J. Business & Industry Association.
“The Coolest Thing Made in New Jersey initiative is more than a celebration of great
products; it’s a reminder of the strength in numbers that defines our state’s
manufacturing sector,” he said.
“When we highlight the ingenuity happening in our own backyard, we elevate the entire
ecosystem. Withum was proud to support NJBIA’s efforts to shine a spotlight on the
manufacturers who continue to drive innovation, create opportunity and shape the future
of New Jersey’s economy.”
That ingenuity was front and center with the CSU B/P AntiG Suit.
In a contest designed to showcase creativity, impact and craftsmanship across the
state, voters gravitated to a product that operates in one of the most extreme
environments imaginable: the cockpit of a fighter jet.
Switlik Survival Products officials said their CSU B/P AntiG Suit is far more than a
futuristic-looking garment. Under intense G-forces — when blood is pushed away from a
pilot’s brain and the risk of losing consciousness spikes — the suit inflates to maintain circulation and keep the pilot alert. In military aviation, that split-second difference can be
everything.
The company, which manufactures high-quality safety and survival products for the
aviation, marine and military markets, learned of its victory at the State of the State of
Manufacturing event at the State House. The announcement was made before an
overflow crowd in Committee Room 16, adding a celebratory moment to a program
otherwise focused on policy hurdles and regulatory reform.
“This means everything to us,” Vanessa Cruz, HR manager at Switlik Survival Products,
said. “It’s another great recognition of how Trenton makes and the world takes.
Manufacturing is still alive and pumping here in New Jersey.”
On the ground and in the air, apparently.
“If you’ve ever seen the movie Top Gun, you have probably seen how antigravity suits
work,” Cruz said. “When pilots go up and Gforces push blood downward. Our suits
apply mechanical compression to the lower body to allow those pilots to get that height
in the air.”
The State of the State of Manufacturing event underscored how closely these kinds of
innovations are tied to public policy. The day included a Legislative Manufacturing
Caucus hearing, where state manufacturers made recommendations to New Jersey
Chief Operating Officer Kelly Doucette about how the Sherrill administration can
improve regulations and red tape in the Garden State.
While Switlik’s suit may operate thousands of feet in the air, its ability to design, produce
and ship it depends heavily on what happens in Trenton’s hearing rooms and committee
chambers.
On the competition side, organizers say the surge in participation shows how strongly
New Jersey feels about its makers.
“We had so many amazing products entered to be the Coolest Thing Made in New
Jersey and to have more than 75,000 votes cast – nearly double from our inaugural
competition – reaffirmed our love and appreciation of manufacturing in New Jersey,”
NJBIA CEO Michele Siekerka said.
For NJMEP, which partners with NJBIA on the Manufacturing Counts initiative behind
the competition, the contest has become a showcase of the sector’s breadth as much
as its depth.
“We love seeing the growth of this initiative over the past two years in showcasing the
incredible innovation and craftsmanship found within New Jersey’s manufacturing sector,” CEO Peter Connolly said. “Congratulations to Switlik Survival and all the great
manufacturers who took part in the competition.”
Three finalists joined Switlik in the last round:
- VetSonotron: Made in Bergen County by ADM Tronics, it is a noninvasive
veterinary therapy device for treatment of musculoskeletal pain conditions in
dogs and horses, without the use of drugs and with no side effects. - OrgoThermit’s Thermit Welding Kit: Produced in Ocean County, it is used to
weld pieces of rail together to create continuously welded rail. - BrukerEST’s Superconductor: Made in Middlesex County, it can carry
electricity losslessly when cooled to 4.2 Kelvin (452°F), enabling the persistent
high magnetic fields required by MRI scanners, particle accelerators and fusion
machines.
Together, they paint a picture of a manufacturing base that is as diverse as it is
sophisticated — stretching from veterinary medicine to infrastructure to cuttingedge
physics, and now, to the cockpit of the world’s most powerful aircraft.
