NORTH CANAAN — The BD plastic disposable syringe has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association’s 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut competition, narrowing the field from 16 products to eight.
BD’s North Canaan-made syringe defeated Tilt-N-Deploy, manufactured by Poly-Tech America of Cheshire, in the opening round. It now faces the Calzone Go Live Workstation, manufactured by Calzone Case Co. of Bridgeport.
The bracket-style contest highlights products manufactured in Connecticut. Sixteen products face off in public voting rounds, with the winner of each matchup advancing until one is named the state’s “Coolest Thing Made.”
Quarterfinal voting is underway at cbia.com/coolest-thing. Voters may cast one vote per day during each round. The winner will be announced Oct. 1 at CBIA’s Made in Connecticut 2026 Manufacturing Summit at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
The BD syringe is the first product from a manufacturer in Connecticut’s Northwest Corner to earn a place in the three-year-old competition, according to CBIA officials.
BD’s 385,000-square-foot North Canaan facility is the Northwest Corner’s largest employer, with about 500 full-time workers and nearly 50 contingent associates. The plant has manufactured syringes for more than six decades and produces approximately 2.5 billion annually, supporting patient care in more than 70 countries.
“I truly believe this is the coolest thing made not only in Connecticut, but in the world,” said Zane VanWagoner, BD Canaan’s senior operations manager.
Other quarterfinalists include toothpaste, a brass Santa Claus button, a satellite propellant isolation valve, a three-wheeled roadster, a robotic-assisted surgery system and kielbasa.
Electric Boat’s Virginia-class submarine won the inaugural competition in 2024. Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense of Simsbury won last year for its Frangible Joint.
For North Canaan, BD’s advancement keeps alive the Northwest Corner’s bid for its first championship in a competition celebrating Connecticut manufacturing and the people behind the products.
“BD patients, every second somewhere in the world, are being serviced by this,” said Ahmad Warraich, BD Canaan plant manager, referring to the syringe.
“Our people know that this is the reason we are here. Our people know that the world depends on us.”
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