Press Releases
Pangea Wins Toyota Excellence Award
September 27, 2023
Rochester, MI, USA | April 25th – Pangea, a leading global supplier of automotive leather, received a Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) “Excellent Technology & Development” Award, 2022 for the 3D Surfacing – Leather” with recently patented technology for Lexus.
The award was announced at TMNA R&D Purchasing Supplier Development’s 2023 Annual Business Meeting this April. A first for Pangea, the highly sought after award put the company up against various suppliers around innovation, excellence, technology, and development. The tech submitted for the award was a proprietary “new process to enhance design expression for genuine leather on seat surface materials.”
Pangea’s technology was applied to the latest full model change of the all-new 2023 Lexus RX. The new model launched globally in October 2022 and has been Lexus’ best-selling model for more than 20 years. Pangea is the leather material supplier for both the front and rear seats. The 2023 RX is the first application for Pangea’s new technology, providing complex expression as a complement to Lexus’ exclusive designs.
The dedicated Pangea team -Technical, Design, & Commercial made it their mission to take a customer-centric approach through product development, design services, and cost planning. Specifically in design, the Pangea team was focused on unique & authentic leather design features that created harmony in the vehicle by connecting the seating patterns with the door panel inserts. The availability of the new technology during the development stage enabled the Lexus designers to execute their overall vehicle concept and vision .
“The receipt of the TMNA Technology & Development Award is most gratifying as it shows our strength in global service to our customers. Particularly when it comes to design & development, this type of new technology furthers the Lexus experience with its sophisticated buyers. We thank the Toyota and Lexus organizations for recognizing this unique technology that blends the beauty of leather with distinct design expression.” said Tim Brennan, EVP for Sales, Marketing & Design at Pangea.
Pangea has supplied TMNA for over 40 years and has been a supplier for the Lexus RX since its inception. The team was thrilled to receive an award of excellence for such work, continuing to innovate on a strong, historic line of business.
With natural products that supply some of the hottest programs on the market, Pangea is embracing their new, award-winning, brand identity. In a market where synthetics are gaining attention for innovation, Pangea’s advanced team is here for the long haul; Committed to customer service, innovation, luxury, and authenticity.