Eto

What Eto does

Eto Co., Ltd. (ヱトー株式会社) is a Japanese technical trading company (技術総合商社) specializing in metal precision components, founded in 1913 and headquartered in Yokohama, Japan. The company trades and supplies screws, fasteners, springs, nuts, washers, retaining rings, rivets, and other small metal components across six product categories: Maker's Standard Products, Customized Products, Distributor's Products, General Products (JIS/DIN/unified standards), Imported Products, and Tools & Equipment. Eto also operates the Kagoshima Factory in Satsumasendai, performing CNC lathe machining on brass parts (primarily water faucet components) using equipment from Nakamura-Tome, Citizen, and DMG MORI. Proprietary technical capabilities include press-fit nut technology as a quality-stabilized alternative to weld nuts, MIM (Metal Injection Molding) process molding for complex-shaped precision parts, and a constant force spring window opening system developed with a Kyokuto Boeki group partner that reduces window operating force from 25kg to 5kg.

The company's go-to-market is B2B sales-led with direct enterprise field sales, supported by 17+ branch offices across Japan and international offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dongguan, Dalian, Tianjin, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam (including a Ho Chi Minh branch opened March 2026), and the United States (Indianapolis and Battle Creek via KBK Inc.). Eto serves five primary industry verticals: Automotive, Electronics, Construction Machinery, Housing Equipment, and Industrial Machinery. Pricing is quote-based, not publicly disclosed, with volume discounts available for large orders and individual quotations for custom parts. Authorized agency relationships exist with multiple Japanese manufacturers (Ochiai, SAKAMURA INDUSTRIES, TOHTO SPRING, TOYO SPRING INDUSTRIAL, DAIICHI KOGYO, NIPPON POP RIVETS AND FASTENERS).

Eto became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kyokuto Boeki Kaisha, Ltd. (極東貿易株式会社) in May 2015 and operates as the most important member of the Kyokuto Boeki group. The company holds ISO 14001 certification (Certificate No. EC00J0123) since October 2000 and provides IATF 16949 internal auditor training and certification support to automotive supply chain partners. Recent strategic activity includes the announcement of an India subsidiary (January 2026), the opening of a Vietnam Ho Chi Minh branch (March 2026), and the relocation of the Overseas Sales Department (May 2026). The company maintains an 850+ supplier network primarily in Japan and Asia, which functions as the core asset enabling procurement risk diversification and supply continuity for enterprise customers across its five verticals.

Name

Eto

Legal name

ヱトー株式会社 (Eto Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://eto.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Eto Co., Ltd. is a 110+ year-old Japanese technical trading company specializing in metal precision components — screws, fasteners, springs, and custom parts — serving enterprise customers across automotive, electronics, construction machinery, housing equipment, and industrial machinery verticals through an 850+ supplier network with global offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kanagawa

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Parts Trading and Sales: Sale of metal precision parts including screws, nuts, washers, fasteners, and specialized components to industrial customers. Revenue generated through product sales with pricing based on quantity, specifications, and customization requirements.
2. Customized/Special Parts Manufacturing: Custom-designed parts manufacturing and supply, often involving complex shapes, special materials, or integrated solutions. Value-added services include technical proposals, quality assurance, and supply chain management.
3. Agency/Distribution Sales: Authorized distribution of manufacturer products including springs, fasteners, rivets, and precision components from partner companies like Ochiai, SAKAMURA INDUSTRIES, TOHTO SPRING, TOYO SPRING INDUSTRIAL, DAIICHI KOGYO, and NIPPON POP RIVETS.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Eto is a technical parts trading company (技術総合商社) that supplies metal precision components including screws, nuts, washers, fasteners, springs, and custom-manufactured parts to industrial customers. The company combines procurement, stock management, logistics, quality assurance, and technical proposal capabilities across five business fields: automobile, electronics, construction machinery, housing equipment, and industrial machinery. It also operates the Kagoshima Factory for CNC lathe machining of brass parts and serves as an authorized distributor for partner manufacturers.

Product overview

Eto is a technical parts general trading company (技術総合商社) specializing in metal precision components. The product portfolio comprises six core product categories: Maker's Standard Products (specialized screws and fasteners from manufacturers), Customized Products (client-specific precision parts), Distributor's Products (authorized agency items from partner manufacturers), General Products (standard JIS/DIN industrial fasteners), Imported Products (overseas-manufactured components), and Tools & Equipment (peripheral manufacturing supplies). The company operates a Kagoshima Factory for brass parts production and serves five key business sectors: Automobile, Electronics, Construction Machinery, Housing Equipment, and Industrial Machinery. Eto functions as a technology-oriented trading company combining procurement, stock management, logistics, quality assurance, and technical proposal capabilities to provide comprehensive supply chain solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maker's Standard Products Original manufacturer products including specialized screws such as TAPTITE2000, Altracs, high tensile strength steel screws, self-tapping screws, resin screws, and precision nuts sourced from partner manufacturers for industrial customers.
• Customized Products Custom-tailored precision parts manufactured for specific client requirements, including automobile components, electronics parts, and equipment parts produced via press molding, cold heading, die-casting, and cutting processes.
• Distributor's Products Authorized agency products from partner manufacturers including Ochiai, SAKAMURA INDUSTRIES, TOHTO SPRING, TOYO SPRING INDUSTRIAL, DAIICHI KOGYO, and NIPPON POP RIVETS AND FASTENERS, covering retaining rings, speed nuts, spring pins, spring washers, coil springs, and POP rivets.
• General Products Standard industrial fasteners and components including JIS, DIN, and unified standard products such as machine screws, tapping screws, bolts, nuts, washers, retaining rings, rivets, and related hardware.
• Imported Products Foreign-manufactured products imported from China, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and other countries, including bathroom accessories, sanitary hardware, and overseas production parts.
• Tools & Equipment Peripheral tools and equipment including electric and hand-operated tools, testing and measuring equipment, consumable goods, and chemical agents for manufacturing support.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Spring Manufacturer (Kyokuto Boeki Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Collaborated with a spring manufacturer that is a group company of Kyokuto Boeki Kaisha, Ltd. to develop a constant force spring system for construction machine window opening/closing. This partnership enabled proposal capabilities that were not possible with Eto alone.
• Taiwanese Telecommunications Equipment ManufacturerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnd customer that approached a Japanese precision spring manufacturer via website for supply of precision springs. Eto provided comprehensive support for this supplier's overseas expansion to serve this customer.
• Ochiai Co., Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized agency relationship. Ochiai is a comprehensive manufacturer developing production of fasteners for factories with in-house integrated production system from design. Products include retaining ring, speed nut, spring pin, etc.
• SAKAMURA INDUSTRIES, INC.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized agency relationship. Comprehensive manufacturer developing manufacturing of special parts by cold former line and from forging machinery to mold. Products include spring washer nuts, F-Nylons, nuts with disc spring washers.
• TOHTO SPRING CO., LTD.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized agency relationship. Develops from precision spring parts manufacturing to mold design and production. Products include coil springs, flat springs, precision press parts, spring washers.
• TOYO SPRING INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized agency relationship. Manufacturing industrial fastener parts by press, multi-forming, etc. Products include spring washers, washers, flat spring parts, retaining ring parts, coil spring parts, precision press parts.
• DAIICHI KOGYO CO., LTD.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized agency relationship. Manufacture and sale of industrial fastener parts by hot and cold heading, former, press processing. Products include fastener components (bolts, nuts), pressed parts for school furniture and vehicle parts.
• NIPPON POP RIVETS AND FASTENERS LTD.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized agency relationship. General fastening company with broad development from industrial fasteners to tools. Products include POP rivets, POP nuts.
• Wellston Co., Ltd.coreOthersGroup company located at Musashikosugi STM Building, Kawasaki. Related entity within Eto/Kyokuto Boeki group structure.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MSC Industrial Direct: MSC Industrial is a US metalworking and industrial MRO distributor with a catalog-driven, multi-vertical B2B model analogous to Eto's General Products and Tools & Equipment categories.
• Fastenal Company: Fastenal is a North American leader in industrial fastener and consumables distribution serving OEM, construction, and industrial customers—comparable in product category, B2B distribution model, and quality-system orientation.
• Würth Group: Würth is the global leader in fastener and assembly technology distribution with a multi-decade B2B catalog model similar to Eto's General/JIS products business, but operating at significantly larger scale and broader vertical reach.
• WESCO International: WESCO is a large industrial distribution and supply chain solutions provider with similar multi-vertical industrial customer concentration, but at materially larger scale and with a broader portfolio than Eto.

Direct peers

• Nifco Inc. Nifco is a Japanese manufacturer of plastic fasteners and precision components serving automotive and consumer/electronics OEMs worldwide, directly comparable to Eto's fastening solutions for vehicle and electronics verticals.
• Aoyama Seisakusho Co., Ltd. Aoyama is a Japanese cold-headed automotive fastener specialist serving major OEMs with precision screw manufacturing capabilities—an Asian-scope peer in product category and customer base to Eto's automotive fastening lines.
• Piolax Inc. Piolax is a Japanese specialized fastener and precision metal components maker for automotive and industrial machinery—comparable to Eto's precision screws, retaining rings, and spring-type fasteners.
• Misumi Group: Misumi operates a Japanese catalog-based industrial components trading platform offering factory automation, tooling, and metal components—the closest comparable to Eto's Maker's Standard Products and Customized Products lines.

Regional players

• Itochu Corporation: Itochu is one of Japan's largest sogo shosha (general trading companies); its industrial and automotive components trading overlaps with Eto's distribution model, but operates at vastly larger, diversified conglomerate scale rather than fastener specialization.

Others

• Kyokuto Boeki Kaisha, Ltd. Kyokuto Boeki is Eto's parent conglomerate (acquired May 2015); it functions as the corporate parent and adjacent trading platform rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eto