Industrial Equipment and Design Powerhouse
Takes Innovation to the Next Level

As their highly-customized ERP and CRM applications reached the end of their functional usefulness for the wholesaler, HOJ Innovations did what it does best—it looked to technology for solutions.

When “innovation” is part of your name, you’ve already set the bar high—and HOJ Innovations doesn’t disappoint. The Utah-based material handling wholesaler helps retailers and etailers across the country to design, equip, and improve their warehouse operations. Working with a variety of organizations from smart startups to Amazon fulfillment centers, HOJ Innovations has earned a reputation for excellence that has fed its growth from a startup itself into a $75 million enterprise.  

As the company’s highly-customized ERP, built from SalesLogix CRM and an accounting system, reached the end of its functional usefulness for the wholesaler, HOJ Innovations did what it does best—it looked to technology for solutions. The company engaged leading technology advisor Net at Work to implement and optimize Acumatica Cloud ERP, building a Digital Operations Platform (DOP) that is now powering new innovations.  

Shedding the Outdated

HOJ Innovations had been running its business on customized ERP developed from SalesLogix CRM and an accounting system, but the custom ERP was no longer adequately supporting the needs of the dynamic material handling company. “We got where we are by embracing next-generation technologies in the development of our own products and services,” explains Chuck Archer, COO at HOJ Innovations. “So, we didn’t need to be convinced to invest in tech to improve our internal operations and workflows—we understand the value proposition.”  

Bringing in Next-Level Expertise

The company originally purchased Acumatica as its next-generation ERP and CRM application through a reseller. However, shortly into the implementation, the management team recognized that the project was too complex for the reseller to handle successfully. “We’re pretty tech savvy, and we needed a partner that could extend that knowledge and fill in any gaps,” Chuck says.  

“We immediately recognized that Net at Work has the skillset, level of experience, and responsiveness needed to make this project a success. They know what they’re doing.”

HOJ Innovations learned of Net at Work through its managed services provider. Net at Work is an Acumatica Developer MVP with the specialized skills, extensive experience, and specific expertise HOJ Innovations would need to make the project a success. “Once we met with Net at Work, we knew we’d come to the right place,” Chuck says. “They know what they’re doing.”

Acumatica: A Platform for Innovation

HOJ Innovations selected Acumatica because of the solution’s broad capabilities and its ability to be customized. “We knew we’d need to customize any ERP application, and Acumatica gives us a lot to work with,” Chuck says. “Most of what we need is already available within the software or its ISV marketplace. However, it’s great to have the ability to customize the application when and where we need it.”  

Net at Work’s Acumatica engineers worked in tandem with HOJ Innovations to design, execute, test, and launch various customizations. “Net at Work served as our expert panel,” notes Chuck. 

Rapid ROI

Addison Webster, HOJ Innovations’ CFO, speaks to the benefits of Acumatica to his finance team. “The automated workflows, streamlined processes, and quick inquiry capabilities free our time for more strategic tasks. We anticipate a rapid return on investment with Acumatica stemming from savings on application licensing, development costs, and improved efficiencies.”

On the operations side, HOJ Innovations is benefiting by leveraging Acumatica’s field service management capabilities. The efficiencies gained here have sped the company’s order-to-cash cycle by over two weeks. 

Embracing leading technology is second nature for HOJ Innovations. By investing in the Acumatica platform and tapping into the advanced expertise of the Net at Work team, HOJ Innovations is accelerating its timeline to unleash even more innovations. 

Download the full Net at Work success story to read more about HOJ Innovations’ digital transformation experience.