Dio

What Dio does

DIO Group (株式会社ディオ) is a privately held Japanese importer, distributor, and bespoke manufacturer founded in November 2008 in Kyoto by Representative Director Shinoda Takayuki. The company operates two principal product lines: (1) the proprietary Forgeman brand, which produces custom wrought iron and aluminum architectural products — gates, fences, railings, panels, and decorative elements — using a CAD-plus-blacksmith manufacturing system with tiered pricing (29,000-82,000 yen per m²) and a same-drawing repeat discount of up to 10%; and (2) imported international design building materials and lighting fixtures, most notably licensed Minka Lavery lighting from California and assorted European products, sold through the LIGHTING GALLERY and sekainokenzai.shop e-commerce platforms.

The technology stack is conventional and pragmatically integrated: WordPress with Elementor and the Lightning Theme for site construction; ShopServe as the primary e-commerce backend; HubSpot for CRM, contact forms, and live chat; and a suite of internal tools (pricing calculator, shipping cost calculator, quote form filler, ShopServe product page generator, ShopServe CSV converter, and Forgeman order manager) that automate routine operational work. The wholly-owned US subsidiary DIO L.L.C. in San Diego (established 2009) supports US sourcing and remote work is conducted from the USA and Italy, evidencing an internationally distributed supplier and operations base.

Revenue is generated through three streams: product margin on imported goods sold via proprietary sites and five Japanese marketplaces (Rakuten, Yahoo Shopping, Amazon Japan, Mercari, Metoree); one-off custom manufacturing fees for Forgeman projects; and ancillary shipping and packaging fees (1,000 yen nationwide Takkyubin, free shipping over 20,000 yen, tiered packaging from 1,400-3,600 yen per parcel). Customers span B2B (construction companies, architects, luxury residential developers) and B2C (individual consumers seeking unique imported design products) segments, served through direct sales channels, marketplace storefronts, and a contractor partner network promoted via Udekiki-syokunin.com. The firm is founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional investors, acquisitions, or external funding; registered capital stands at 5,000,000 yen.

Name

Dio

Legal name

株式会社ディオ

Website

https://dio-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

DIO Group (株式会社ディオ) imports and sells design building materials, lighting fixtures, and interior products in Japan through proprietary e-commerce sites and major marketplaces, and manufactures custom wrought iron and aluminum architectural products under the Forgeman brand, serving both B2B construction clients and B2C consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Imported Building Materials & Custom Architectural Ironwork

NAICS

Ornamental and Architectural Metal Work Manufacturing (332323), Metal Window and Door Manufacturing (332321)

SIC

Metal Doors, Sash, Frames, Moldings & Trim (3442)

akta.pro primary industry

Decorative Hardware & Home Accents Retail (House Numbers, Hooks, Knobs/Pulls, Mailboxes) (CRAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Imported building materials
• Custom ironwork
• Architectural lighting fixtures
• Wrought iron products
• Building material e-commerce

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Product Sales: Direct sales of imported building materials, lighting fixtures, and interior products through proprietary e-commerce sites and marketplace platforms (Rakuten, Yahoo Shopping, Amazon, Mercari). Revenue generated from product margins on wholesale and retail transactions.
2. Custom FORGEMAN Manufacturing: Bespoke wrought iron and aluminum product manufacturing with pricing from 34,000 yen per square meter. Orders for gates, fences, railings, and architectural elements with varying complexity and design fees.
3. Shipping and Packaging Services: Shipping fee revenue from delivery services including Takkyubin (1,000 yen nationwide), consolidated shipping for large items, and charter delivery options. Packaging fees for special handling.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dio imports and distributes overseas design building materials, lighting fixtures, and interior products to the Japanese market. Its flagship FORGEMAN brand manufactures bespoke wrought iron and aluminum architectural products (gates, fences, railings, panels). The company sells through proprietary e-commerce sites (sekainokenzai.shop, LIGHTING GALLERY) and major Japanese marketplaces, while also providing B2B direct sales to architects, contractors, and developers.

Product overview

Dio operates a multi-platform e-commerce and information business centered on imported building materials and custom metalwork. The core offering consists of two main product lines: (1) the proprietary Forgeman brand providing bespoke wrought iron and aluminum architectural products including gates, fences, railings, panels, and decorative elements for residential and commercial applications, and (2) imported international lighting fixtures and building materials sold through LIGHTING GALLERY and 世界の建材.SHOP platforms. Supporting these are information portals like 世界の建材ドットコム for design inspiration and Forgeman.works/Forgeman.design for technical documentation and product cataloging. The company also maintains presence across multiple Japanese e-commerce marketplaces including Rakuten, Yahoo Shopping, Amazon, and Mercari. Internal operational tools including pricing calculators, shipping cost tools, and ShopServe integration utilities support the e-commerce operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• フォージマン (Forgeman): Custom wrought iron and aluminum products brand including gates, fences, railings, panels, and architectural metalwork for residential and commercial applications.
• 世界の建材ドットコム (Sekai Kenzai.com)
• 世界の建材.SHOP

Products and services

• FORGEMAN (フォージマン) Proprietary brand specializing in custom-made wrought iron and aluminum products for architectural applications including gates, fences, railings, panels, and decorative elements for residential and commercial projects. Offers bespoke manufacturing with CAD design and craftsmanship at six price tiers ranging from 29,000 yen to 82,000 yen per square meter.
• LIGHTING GALLERY (照明器具ギャラリー) E-commerce and information platform for imported international lighting fixtures including chandeliers, pendant lights, ceiling lights, wall brackets, table lamps, floor lamps, and ceiling fans from brands such as Minka-Lavery.
• Sekainokenzai.shop (世界の建材.SHOP) Primary e-commerce platform for imported building materials, featuring wrought iron products, brick tiles, lighting fixtures, and decorative items for residential and commercial projects. Supports credit card, bank transfer, cash on delivery, and PayPal payments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,600 iron/aluminum products in FORGEMAN catalog
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Minka Lavery (ミンカラベリー)coreTechnology or IntegrationLicensed distributor of Minka Lavery imported lighting products from California, USA. Minka Lavery is described as a lighting industry leader since 1982, known for classical antique designs inspired by medieval art and architecture. Products featured in Hollywood films, dramas, and Japanese media.
• World's Building Material ManufacturerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of overseas manufacturers and suppliers for imported building materials including wrought iron products, brick tiles, and lighting fixtures. Company leverages international relationships built over years of business for product sourcing.
• 施工業者ネットワーク (Contractor Network)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of construction companies and craftsmen promoted through 腕利き職人.COM (Udekiki-syokunin.com) platform. Installers who can handle company products and recommend them to customers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Actus (アクタス): Japan-based multi-channel retailer specializing in imported European furniture, lighting, and interior products. Comparable to DIO in target market (design-conscious Japanese consumers and architects) and business model of importing overseas designer brands for the Japanese market.
• Yamagiwa (ヤマギワ): Premium Japanese lighting retailer and distributor of high-end imported designer lighting fixtures. Directly comparable to DIO's LIGHTING GALLERY and Minka Lavery distribution business, serving architects, designers, and luxury residential customers with imported lighting brands.
• Francfranc: Specialty Japanese retailer of design-led home interior goods and lighting with proprietary e-commerce and marketplace presence. Comparable to DIO in selling curated design home products to Japanese consumers across multiple channels, though Francfranc operates at significantly larger scale.
• Tokyo Shomei Lighting (東京照明): Japanese specialty retailer focused on imported European designer lighting fixtures, serving architects, designers, and premium residential customers. Directly comparable to DIO's LIGHTING GALLERY in curating imported high-end lighting for the Japanese design market.
• HIDA (飛騨産業): Japanese specialty retailer of imported and domestically-crafted furniture and home goods, with a strong e-commerce and showroom channel mix. Highly comparable to DIO in combining imported designer products with curated Japanese craftsmanship and serving both B2C and project-based B2B customers.

Others

• Minka Lavery: US-based designer lighting brand founded in 1982, known for classical and antique-inspired designs featured in film, TV, and hospitality. DIO is a licensed distributor in Japan rather than a competitor, but Minka Lavery is the principal supplier to DIO's lighting business and represents the brand economics underpinning that revenue stream.

Broad incumbents

• KOIZUMI Lighting (コイズミ照明): Established Japanese lighting manufacturer and brand with broad residential and commercial lighting catalogs. Overlaps with DIO's lighting distribution and imported lighting business but competes as a domestic manufacturer with a much wider product portfolio across price points.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DioGroupJP
• Facebookfacebook.com/diollc
• Instagraminstagram.com/sekainokenzai.dio

Compliance1 record

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 Dio