diff --git a/django_elasticsearch_dsl/apps.py b/django_elasticsearch_dsl/apps.py
index 47865210..73e451c3 100644
--- a/django_elasticsearch_dsl/apps.py
+++ b/django_elasticsearch_dsl/apps.py
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
 from django.apps import AppConfig
 from django.conf import settings
+from django.utils.module_loading import import_string
 
 from elasticsearch_dsl.connections import connections
 
-from .utils import import_class
-
 
 class DEDConfig(AppConfig):
     name = 'django_elasticsearch_dsl'
@@ -21,7 +20,7 @@ def ready(self):
                 'ELASTICSEARCH_DSL_SIGNAL_PROCESSOR',
                 'django_elasticsearch_dsl.signals.RealTimeSignalProcessor'
             )
-            signal_processor_class = import_class(signal_processor_path)
+            signal_processor_class = import_string(signal_processor_path)
             self.signal_processor = signal_processor_class(connections)
 
     @classmethod
diff --git a/django_elasticsearch_dsl/utils.py b/django_elasticsearch_dsl/utils.py
deleted file mode 100644
index a102a01e..00000000
--- a/django_elasticsearch_dsl/utils.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-import importlib
-
-
-def import_class(path):
-    """Import class by path given."""
-    path_bits = path.split('.')
-    # Cut off the class name at the end.
-    class_name = path_bits.pop()
-    module_path = '.'.join(path_bits)
-    module_itself = importlib.import_module(module_path)
-
-    if not hasattr(module_itself, class_name):
-        raise ImportError("The Python module '%s' has no '%s' class."
-                          "" % (module_path, class_name))
-
-    return getattr(module_itself, class_name)