[THE INVESTOR] Dio, South Korean dental implant manufacturer, will establish a joint venture with a Japanese firm to expand its presence in the country, the company announced on Sept. 13.

Dio will form a 51:49 joint venture Dio Digital Corporation with Japanese dental manufacturer Feed Corporation, by investing 547.6 million won (US$490,989) in a 1.74 billion won project.

“Through forming the joint venture with a Japanese firm that specializes in dentistry, we will sell implant products and provide digital solution to expand our business in the Japanese market,” Dio said.

Dio, established in 2002, is one of the major implant manufacturers here. The Busan-based firm exports its products to more than 60 countries, including US, China and Taiwan. For the second quarter of this year, the company posted 8.3 billion won in operating profit, up 87.94 percent on-year. Its sales stood at 23.8 billion won, up 40.28 percent from a year earlier.

Founded in 1980, Feed Corporation manufacturers dental equipment in Japan. Its parent company Noritsu Koki is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)