From Manual Routines to a Modern, Automated ERP Foundation

HK Electric represents approximately 25 European manufacturers and operates as a distributor and importer of electrotechnical products for wholesalers. Internally, the organization faced extensive paperwork, incomplete implementation attempts, and a Unit4 system that no longer supported the business.

“We had worked with Unit4 since 2001, but in recent years the system had drifted away from our business — we were practically drowning,” says Jorgen Blom, Managing Director.

Jorgen Blom and Edwin van den Akker, Commercial Director, adds:
“We wanted to further optimize and automate our processes, and the new system — particularly in our service department — delivered significant benefits. We found the solution through our network and chose to collaborate with Context&’s sister company GAC, who have extensive experience with Trade365. Beyond their industry expertise, we experienced a strong cultural fit. Ultimately, you look for a partner with the same DNA.”

On GAC’s recommendation, HK Electric selected Business Central SaaS, combined with Trade365 and Power BI. This provided a flexible and standardized platform that could still be adapted to the company’s operational processes.

“We chose Business Central SaaS, and it quickly became clear that it was the right solution for HK Electric — primarily due to its flexibility. The system offers a range of standard features that we can tailor to our own processes, while still allowing room for business-specific functionality within a standardized framework, including through the Power Platform. The solution also opened entirely new opportunities to automate our service processes, which were previously very outdated,” says Edwin van den Akker.

The Implementation

The implementation was extensive and required both technical changes and significant organisational involvement. The timeline was extended to ensure quality and proper governance throughout the process.

Edwin van den Akker explains:
“The implementation was a demanding task. The cloud version was entirely new, and we could sense that GAC was still balancing between on-premises and cloud. It required a substantial investment of time. The original timeline was ambitious, so we took the initiative to extend it by three months, which provided the necessary stability.”

After the technical setup, HK Electric took strong internal ownership: they allocated staff, enriched data and trained the organization ahead of go-live on 1 June 2020.

The Biggest Challenge

For HK Electric, the greatest challenge was allocating resources early in the project and ensuring broad involvement across the organisation.

“It was undoubtedly a challenge to free up enough people early on to execute the project and build support for it. As a relatively small organisation with 19 employees, our steering committee and project team were essentially the same group. This allowed us to make decisions and change direction quickly. Knowledge is everywhere — and that absolutely needs to be embedded in a project like this,” says Edwin van den Akker.

Always up to Date

The shift from on-premises to cloud gave HK Electric a stable solution with continuous updates — without heavy upgrade projects.

“Cloud solutions have become even more relevant since the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, when we worked on-premises, updates were far apart. Now we automatically follow along and are always on the latest version. You can feel the system getting a little better all the time. And in the six months we've been live, we have experienced very few issues,” says Jorgen Blom.

HK Electric now operates on a modern and automated ERP platform that reduces manual processes, improves data quality and ensures more stable operations. Digital import of shipments and lead-time updates saves time and reduces errors, while the cloud foundation enables continuous improvements without operational disruption.

Strong internal ownership has been essential. The company can now further develop processes, adapt the solution, and scale in line with future needs.

This solution was developed in collaboration with our sister company in The Digital Neighborhood, GAC.