Apex Industrial Automation
Modernizing B2B eCommerce with OroCommerce and Epicor Prophet 21 for Apex Industrial Automation
Apex Industrial Automation, a leading Midwest distributor of industrial automation products and services, recognized that its digital commerce platform was no longer keeping pace with customer expectations or the company's long-term vision for growth. After an extensive platform evaluation led by B2B Squared, Apex selected OroCommerce as its new B2B eCommerce platform and partnered with Lokion to deliver a modern, scalable solution that would improve customer experience, streamline operations, and provide a foundation for future digital growth.
The Challenge
As Apex continued to grow, its legacy eCommerce platform became an obstacle rather than an asset. Slow page performance, limited B2B functionality, and inconsistent product data created friction throughout the buying experience. Customers often relied on phone calls and emails to confirm pricing and inventory before placing orders, increasing the workload on customer service teams while slowing purchasing decisions.
The existing platform also struggled with product discovery, mobile usability, and search engine optimization (SEO), making it difficult for customers to find products quickly and limiting Apex's ability to compete with larger distributors who offered more modern digital experiences. To support its long-term vision, Apex needed a platform purpose-built for B2B commerce that could integrate seamlessly with its business systems while delivering the speed and self-service capabilities customers expected.
Key business challenges:
- Legacy eCommerce platform with slow performance
- Delays loading real-time pricing and inventory information
- Limited B2B functionality and self-service capabilities
- Heavy reliance on phone and email ordering
- Poor mobile experience
- Limited product discovery and search capabilities
- Weak SEO performance
- Inconsistent product information across the catalog
- Need for a scalable platform to support future growth
The Solution
Lokion partnered closely with Apex to design and implement a modern B2B commerce solution centered on OroCommerce. Working collaboratively with Apex's team, Lokion aligned the platform's capabilities with the company's business objectives while minimizing unnecessary customization by leveraging OroCommerce's robust native B2B features.
The implementation included a real-time integration with Epicor Prophet 21, allowing customers to view current pricing and inventory directly within the website, significantly improving both accuracy and responsiveness. To strengthen product content management, Lokion also implemented Salsify PIM (Product Information Management), giving Apex centralized control over product information, validation, and ongoing catalog management.
The customer experience was further enhanced through improved navigation, visual category pages, responsive design, and a more intuitive search experience, making it easier for buyers to quickly locate and purchase the products they needed across desktop and mobile devices.
Solution components included:
- OroCommerce implementation and configuration
- Integration with Epicor Prophet 21 (P21)
- Real-time pricing and inventory APIs
- Customer-specific B2B purchasing experience
- Responsive design for desktop and mobile
- Enhanced product search and navigation
- Visual category landing pages
- Salsify PIM implementation
- Product data validation and governance
- End-to-end discovery, implementation, testing, and launch support
The Results
The new platform transformed Apex's digital commerce experience by replacing a slow, outdated website with a modern B2B solution built to support both customers and internal teams. Buyers now have immediate access to accurate pricing and inventory information, allowing them to make purchasing decisions more quickly and with greater confidence. Improved navigation, mobile usability, and product discovery create a significantly better customer experience while reducing dependence on manual ordering channels. Behind the scenes, centralized product data management through Salsify gives Apex greater control over its catalog and positions the organization to efficiently scale future product and content updates.
With a flexible commerce platform integrated directly with its ERP, Apex is now equipped to support continued digital growth while delivering the fast, self-service experience today's industrial buyers expect.
Business outcomes:
- Faster access to real-time pricing and inventory
- Improved self-service capabilities for B2B customers
- Better mobile shopping experience
- Enhanced product discovery through improved navigation and search
- Centralized product information management with Salsify
- Improved product data quality and governance
- Reduced dependence on manual ordering through phone and email
- Scalable commerce platform designed for future growth
- Modern digital experience aligned with evolving B2B buyer expectations
Lokion’s been great as an integration partner.
Beyond the technical support I’d consider table stakes in this industry, Lokion has helped with processes, ops, and change management in ways that exceed expectations. The areas that usually cause the biggest issues for a project this size are the places where Lokion has been most beneficial. Off the top of my head, I can think of two specific parts of this project that would have caused significant issues, but Lokion’s technical skills and willingness to be flexible when Apex had issues kept our project on track.
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