Bridge of Weir and Piston Interiors mark 20-year partnership with launch of complete leather interior service for US automakers

Bridge of Weir, supplier of Fine Automotive Leather to the world’s most-respected luxury car brands, is marking 20 years of increasing collaboration with its US manufacturing partner, Piston Interiors, by announcing the launch of a new complete leather interior solution service for its US automotive customers.

Through a relationship which stretches back to 2005 and initially began with Piston Interiors cutting and trimming leather supplied by Bridge of Weir for US car companies through its state-of-the-art facility in Mexico, the two brands have increasingly become more collaborative, expanding to a dedicated facility in Mexico, and an ever-wider range of interior services for automotive customers in North America.

Today, Piston Interiors headquarters in Pontiac, Michigan – in the heart of the US automotive industry – is home to a bespoke, dedicated Bridge of Weir/Piston Interiors team, alongside a showroom which gives automotive CMF designers the chance to see, feel and specify the very latest innovations from Bridge of Weir leather for upcoming projects.

This increasingly close collaboration has now resulted in a new one-stop-shop service, the offering covering every part of the leather interior product supply process required by a US automotive customer, from initial design and feasibility studies, to material selection, development of bespoke colours and finishes, cutting, sewing, perforating, laminating, quilting, laser etching and trimming, to testing, validation, and ultimately production, final finish and delivery.

Through this new service, Bridge of Weir and Piston Interiors can create complete finished interior products for US auto brands using the finest automotive leather from Scotland, from a seat to an entire automotive interior.

As well as coinciding with 20 years of working together, the announcement also occurs at the same time as Bridge of Weir’s 120th anniversary, over which time the leading leather supplier has supported multiple US brands, beginning with Ford and the Model T in 1911. In 1956, Bridge of Weir supplied Lincoln on the Continental Mark II, starting a relationship which continues today with all US-manufactured Lincoln models, including the recently launched Navigator. Indeed, Bridge of Weir leather has become the natural material of choice for multiple leading automotive luxury brands in the US, supplying the second-generation Ford GT, and Lucid for the Air luxury electric car, among many others.

James Muirhead, CCO of Bridge of Weir, said: “Bridge of Weir has a long history of supplying the world’s most iconic and important cars. Our relationship with US automotive makers goes back all the way to the Model T Ford, and in our 120th anniversary year we are delighted to be celebrating another milestone with Piston Interiors. They are a remarkable US business with which Bridge of Weir has clicked from day one. They have been crucial to our offering to US car makers over the last two decades and this new complete interior service is an example of just how productive two like-minded businesses can become, not just meeting the needs of US auto brands but exceeding them.”

Danielle Momany, Director of New Business Development, Piston Interiors, said: “The Piston Interiors and Bridge of Weir relationship has steadily grown over the last 20 years. There’s a natural synergy between our teams when it comes to creativity and shared values and we’re excited to now offer a complete service to our customers. Whether it starts with a sketch or a 3D model, we can take a concept and carry it all the way through to production. With our deep expertise in cut-and-sew and craftsmanship, combined with Bridge of Weir’s premium leather, OEMs can trust us to deliver high-quality interiors from start to finish. And honestly, even after all this time, we feel like we’re just getting started – there’s so much more potential ahead.”