This editor’s note highlights the key facts and market implications behind “Veteran Office Furniture Manufacturer Launches I”, with emphasis on sourcing, product fit, fabrication, logistics, or buyer impact.
Daishin Kogyo Co., Ltd. (Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture), a manufacturer and seller of steel office furniture, has newly released the interior furniture brand 'TEKO DESIGN'. Since developing filing cabinets in 1956, the company has primarily operated in the B2B market centered on office storage furniture. With the launch of this new brand, it is now fully challenging the B2C market. The 'TEKO DESIGN' e-commerce site opened on November 10, 2023. 'TEKO DESIGN' is a modern neutral interior furniture brand that pursues design unique to iron (steel). It designs sharp forms and surface finishes that can only be expressed with metal, creating practical value.
Preparing for Future Market Shrinkage
Daishin Kogyo has long manufactured and sold storage furniture for office use under its own brand. However, with the gradual progress of paperless operations, the market for office storage furniture is trending downward. According to the Office Furniture Radar provided by the Japan Office Furniture Association, the proportion of storage furniture within sales of metal furniture has been slowly shrinking year by year, decreasing by 3.5% over the past 15 years. In anticipation of a future shrinkage in the office storage furniture market, the company determined it was necessary to build a new business utilizing its own design expertise, production facilities, and partner network. It decided to challenge the B2C market, specifically the continuously growing e-commerce market.
The Journey of a Veteran Steel Cabinet Manufacturer
In 1956, Daishin Kogyo was quick to engage in the development and manufacture of steel filing cabinets, which were becoming popular in the United States. The sheet metal processing technology cultivated over approximately 70 years since then forms the foundation of its current business operations. In particular, the drawer suspension rail technology developed at that time encapsulates Daishin Kogyo's unique expertise, and its design technology has been inherited in many products developed in recent years. The development team discussed daily ideas on whether they could create brands and products leveraging these strengths.
A New Furniture Brand ‘TEKO DESIGN’ Focused on Iron-Specific Design
The decision to move into interior furniture was influenced by the ability to utilize existing office furniture knowledge and the fact that the brand development manager was studying interior coordination for residential architecture and had a strong passion for interior spaces. While many may imagine wooden furniture when hearing 'interior furniture', iron furniture also has many charms: sharp appearance, strength despite being thin and slender, decorative potential with various surface finishes, durability, and recyclability. In terms of design, iron furniture with sharp lines stands out, creates a modern space, and builds a high-quality, minimal atmosphere. Iron materials are also used in many high-end foreign furniture brands, and their light, stylish presence gives a sophisticated impression to a space.
On the other hand, looking at domestic interior spaces, there is a strong impression of spaces with a strong natural taste featuring many wooden furniture pieces, or spaces with a somewhat rugged industrial taste even if iron materials are included. The company thought, "We want to create our own iron furniture that fits into interiors with a well-balanced style, not leaning too much towards either natural or industrial."
The newly launched interior furniture brand 'TEKO DESIGN' advocates a modern neutral design concept that not only embraces the sharp and stylish design inherent to iron materials but also fits into many interior tastes regardless of gender. Moving forward, the company aims to focus on product development utilizing iron materials based on its strengths, aspiring to become an interior furniture brand where daily use fosters growing attachment to one's own space.
Products and Usage Examples
Wall-mounted storage 'monocell' that can be fixed to the wall with a stapler *Sales scheduled to begin on Makuake on Wednesday, November 29. – On an empty wall under a mirror as a makeup space. – On an empty wall in a laundry space. – On an empty wall of a kitchen cupboard. – On an empty wall in a washbasin area. Dining table with freely selectable melamine patterns and sizes for the tabletop – Tabletop in the same black color as the legs for a unified look. – Tabletop matching kitchen surface materials. – Matte color tabletop matching white legs. – Wood-grain pattern tabletop. Small warehouse 'KaKuKo' that blends into each individual's lifestyle – As storage for tools like plants or gardening equipment. – As a cabinet to organize hobby tools like coffee or camera gear. – As a box to organize pamphlets like ZINEs or books. – As a collection case for favorite items. – As storage for stationery or work tools around a desk.
Comment from Brand Development Manager Ryosuke Tsurumi
“‘TEKO DESIGN’ is a brand I personally want right now. I plan to build a new house soon and have researched many interior furniture brands to achieve an LDK (Living-Dining-Kitchen) space with a good balance of wood and iron. While there are many options for domestic wooden furniture brands, there are hardly any choices for domestic interior furniture brands mainly using iron materials, so I’m still struggling to select items. I thought, why not make it ourselves? That’s how the brand ‘TEKO DESIGN’ was launched. We aim for an accessible price range leveraging D2C and want to grow it into a brand that comes to mind when people think of domestic interior furniture brands mainly using iron materials.”
TEKO DESIGN: https://tekodesign.jp/ Daishin Kogyo Co., Ltd.: https://www.daishinkogyo.co.jp/
