Frequently Asked Questions

There is no blanket minimum order quantity. What applies depends on what you are ordering and why.

Evaluation and sample orders. A single unit can be accepted on selected models so that you can test the hardware in your own environment, or so that your software vendor can validate the platform before a project is committed. Sample lead time is 7–14 days.

Volume pricing. Price breaks typically begin at 10 units and improve with quantity. The exact thresholds depend on the model and the configuration.

OEM and ODM projects. Here the minimum depends on the tooling, the housing change and the configuration work involved rather than on a fixed number. A project that only changes colour and branding has a low minimum; a project that requires a new housing structure or new tooling has a higher one. We confirm this in the quotation once the requirement is clear.

If you are unsure what your project needs, send the requirement and we will tell you honestly whether the volume you have in mind is workable.

Sample orders are normal practice for us, and most of our project customers start with one.

What you get. A production unit built to the configuration discussed, not a simplified demonstrator. That matters because the purpose of the sample is usually to validate the real thing — thermal behaviour, printer reliability, touch response, driver compatibility with your software.

Lead time. 7–14 days for a standard configuration. Where the sample involves a housing change, a new peripheral combination or a factory software image, the lead time is confirmed in the quotation.

What the sample is for. Buyers use it for three things: testing the hardware in their own environment, letting their software vendor validate the platform, and showing the unit to the end client where a project is being bid.

After the sample. Once the configuration is confirmed on the sample, it is recorded and the production order reproduces it. Changes agreed after sampling are applied to the recorded configuration so that the production build matches what was signed off.

Lead time has two parts: the production time and the transit time. They are quoted separately because they are controlled by different things.

Samples — 7–14 days. A standard configuration sample is built and shipped within this window.

Mass production — 20–35 days. The position in that range depends on the configuration complexity and the order quantity. A standard build at modest volume sits at the lower end; a custom housing, a new peripheral combination or a large batch sits at the upper end.

What extends it. Three things commonly do: a housing or tooling change, a peripheral that has to be sourced specifically for the order, and a factory software image that needs development work rather than configuration.

Shipping. Transit time depends on the destination, the transport mode and the season. We coordinate with your forwarder or arrange transport as agreed in the order, and confirm the shipping terms in the quotation.

Staged delivery. For multi-site rollouts, delivery can be staged against a project schedule rather than shipped in one batch. The production schedule is agreed at order confirmation.

Both are core to how we work, and most of our production is customer-specific rather than catalogue.

OEM — built to your design. You provide the housing design, the configuration and the branding, and we manufacture it. This is the usual route for a buyer with an existing product, or one with an industrial designer already engaged.

ODM — adapted from our platform. You describe the requirement and we propose an existing platform adapted to it. This is faster and less expensive, and it is what most buyers choose when the housing shape is not itself the differentiator.

What can be customised. Dimensions, structure, colour and surface finish; logo, backlit signage and silk-screen branding; hardware and interface configuration; front-panel cut-outs and interface layout; operating system image, drivers and autostart behaviour; software and system integration support; and packaging for retail or project delivery.

The process. Requirement analysis, solution design, configuration confirmation, prototype, testing, mass production, quality inspection, delivery and remote technical support. Nothing is committed to mass production until the prototype and the configuration have been signed off.

Confidentiality. Drawings, specifications and software details you share are used only to quote and produce your order. We sign an NDA on request before technical documents change hands, and we do not resell a customer’s custom housing design to other buyers.

Payment terms are set per order rather than published as a fixed schedule, because the arrangement that makes sense depends on the order value, whether it is a first order or a repeat, the configuration, and the destination market.

How it works in practice. Tell us your preferred arrangement with the enquiry — what your finance team normally works with — and we will confirm in the quotation what we can accept for that specific order. The agreed terms are then stated on the proforma invoice, so there is no ambiguity at the point of payment.

Sample and evaluation orders are normally settled on simpler terms than production orders, since the value is small and the purpose is evaluation.

Repeat supply. For customers placing regular orders on a standing configuration, terms can be agreed once and applied to subsequent orders.

If payment terms are a deciding factor in your sourcing decision, raise it early in the conversation rather than at the order stage. It is a commercial question, and it is easier to resolve before the specification is fixed.

A self-service terminal is a heavy, glazed product with a touch panel and internal peripherals, so packaging is a protection question rather than a convenience one.

Standard export packaging. Reinforced export carton with EPE foam protection around the enclosure, corner and edge reinforcement, and the accessory kit packed separately inside the carton. Multi-unit orders are palletised and stretch-wrapped.

What is protected. The touch panel and the front glass are the most vulnerable parts in transit, followed by the peripheral modules. The foam layout is designed around the specific enclosure rather than applied generically, which matters for large-format units.

Custom packaging. Where the terminal is going to a retail channel, a distributor’s warehouse or a project site that unpacks in front of a client, custom packaging is available: printed cartons, branded inserts, accessory presentation and, where required, a retail-ready outer.

Documentation in the carton. The accessory kit, the mounting hardware and the configuration record travel with the unit. Where the buyer needs the documentation in a specific language or format for a site acceptance file, we prepare it accordingly.

Shipping marks. Carton marking follows your forwarder’s requirements — destination port, order reference, carton numbering and handling symbols.

Confirm the packaging requirement at the quotation stage, because a change after production means repacking rather than repacking correctly the first time.

Certification in this product category is not a property of the manufacturer in the abstract — it is a property of a specific configuration. A test report issued for one screen size, one power supply and one peripheral set does not automatically cover a different build.

That is why we do not publish a wall of certification logos.

How we handle it. During quotation we confirm which certificates and test reports apply to the configuration you are ordering, and supply the documents for your compliance or tender file. Where a required certificate does not cover the build, we say so rather than presenting a logo that does not apply.

What is typically requested by buyers in this market. Quality-system documentation, material composition and property test reports for housings and key components, restricted-substance declarations for European markets, and third-party test reports for electrical safety and EMC on the specific configuration.

Software and design registrations. Software copyrights and design patents relating to our terminal platforms are held as registrations. Where a buyer needs evidence of these for a tender, we supply the registration documents.

Market-specific requirements. Different destination markets have different mandatory schemes. Tell us the destination country and the standard your project or tender requires, and we will confirm what we can supply and what would need to be arranged separately.

Our Certifications page lists documents only once the original has been verified. Anything still awaiting verification is withheld.

Quality control is organised as four gates rather than as a single check at the end. A fault caught at the stage where it occurs costs a correction; the same fault caught at final inspection costs a rebuild.

1. Incoming inspection. Components, panels and enclosures are checked against specification on arrival — dimensions, appearance, electrical parameters and quantity — before they enter the assembly line. A non-conforming batch is rejected at this point rather than built into a unit.

2. In-process inspection. Assembly and wiring are verified stage by stage: fastening and torque, cable routing and connector seating, module mounting and interface assembly. This is where most latent faults are caught, because they are visible at the stage they are introduced.

3. Complete-machine functional inspection. Every finished unit runs a full function test: display and touch response, printing, scanning, card reading, audio output, network and serial interfaces, and power behaviour. The test is against the configuration agreed for that order.

4. Final inspection. Appearance, accessories, labelling, documentation and packaging are confirmed before the unit is sealed. The final inspection report accompanies the shipment.

Records. Inspection results are recorded against the unit, so a query about a specific serial number can be traced back to the production batch. Buyers with a site acceptance process can request the records for their order.

Where a buyer specifies an inspection protocol. For project work, we inspect against the configuration and test protocol the buyer signed off, not against a generic standard. Where a third-party inspection is required before shipment, we accommodate it at the agreed point in the schedule.

Shipping arrangements are agreed per order rather than fixed, because the sensible arrangement depends on whether you already have a forwarder, the destination, and the volume involved.

If you have a forwarder. Most of our regular buyers do. In that case we prepare the goods for collection, provide the packing list, the commercial invoice and the export documentation, and coordinate the handover at the agreed point.

If you do not. We can arrange transport through a forwarder and quote accordingly. Where this is the case, confirm the destination port or door address at the quotation stage so the quotation reflects the real cost.

Shipping terms. The Incoterm is stated in the quotation and confirmed on the order. It is worth settling early, because it determines who is responsible for the goods at each stage and it affects the total landed cost more than the unit price usually does.

Export documentation. Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin where required, and any market-specific documentation the destination requires. Where your market has a specific documentation requirement, raise it at the quotation stage.

Air versus sea. Samples and urgent units normally go by air. Production volumes normally go by sea. For project work with a fixed commissioning date, we plan the shipping window backwards from that date rather than forward from the production finish.

Staged delivery. For multi-site rollouts, delivery can be staged against the project schedule rather than shipped in one batch, which also spreads the customs and warehousing load.

Support is organised around remote diagnosis first, because that resolves most faults without moving a terminal.

Warranty — 3 years. The warranty covers the terminal for three years from delivery, subject to the terms stated in the order. The precise scope and exclusions are confirmed with the quotation so there is no ambiguity later.

Remote technical diagnosis. When a unit reports a fault, the first step is remote diagnosis: we work with your technical contact to identify whether the cause is the hardware, the software, the configuration or the installation environment. Many reported faults turn out to be configuration or software issues, and those are resolved remotely.

Repair guidance. Where the fault is a replaceable component — a printer module, a scanner, a card reader, a power supply — we provide the procedure and the part so your team can complete the repair on site. This is usually faster and cheaper than shipping a unit.

Return to factory. Where the fault cannot be resolved remotely and is not a field-replaceable module, the unit returns to the factory for repair. Return logistics are arranged per case.

On-site service. We do not currently provide overseas on-site repair. Buyers who require on-site coverage should plan for it locally, and we support that arrangement with documentation, spare parts and remote assistance.

Spare parts. Spare-part supply is available for the warranty period and beyond. For multi-site fleets we recommend agreeing a small spares holding at the start of the rollout — printers and scanners are the components that most often need replacement, and holding one of each locally removes the lead time from a repair.

Extended requirements. Where a tender requires a longer warranty, a specific response time or a documented service level, raise it at the quotation stage. Those arrangements are commercial and are agreed per project.