First Essential
Payments, EPOS, CRM and AI for manufacturing UK
Tie your shop floor, your orders and your customers together with CRM for manufacturing that joins the lot up. Card payments, EPOS, CRM and automation built for UK manufacturers, with one UK team and real people on the end of the phone.
Production runs hard, admin runs harder
The line keeps moving, but quotes, purchase orders, supplier chasing, deposit invoices and end-of-month reconciliation keep piling up. Most UK manufacturers run a job sheet here, an accounts package there, a card terminal on the counter and a separate inbox for enquiries, and none of it talks. First Essential puts your card payments, EPOS, CRM and automation in one place and joins the back office to the floor, so your team spends less time re-keying data and more time making things. And there is a real UK team behind it all.
What is an EPOS system, and what is a card machine, for manufacturing?
An EPOS system (Electronic Point of Sale, sometimes just called a till system) is the software and hardware you use to record a sale, take payment and keep track of stock and orders. For a manufacturer that is rarely a shop till. It is more often a trade counter, a sales rep with a tablet, a trade-show stand or a deposit taken over the phone, all feeding the same order record.
A card machine (also called a card reader or card terminal) is the device that takes the actual card payment. Countertop units sit on the trade counter, portable readers move around the unit, and mobile card readers go out on the road with a rep or to a show. With First Essential, whichever you use, the payment ties straight back to the right order and customer in your CRM, so nothing is recorded twice and your figures stay in one place.
Our card payment rates start from 0.3%. The exact rate depends on the card type and your business, so we confirm it with you at setup. Settlement is next-day, which matters when you are funding raw materials before you have been paid.
Card machine / card reader takes the payment, on the counter, around the unit or on the road.
First Essential One joins them to your quotes, customers and follow-ups, so it is all one system, not four.
CRM for manufacturing: quotes, orders and customers, joined up
First Essential One keeps your quotes, orders, customers and follow-ups in one place, with automation built in so nothing gets missed. One view of the whole job, from first enquiry to delivery. When a quote goes out, the platform can chase it on a schedule you set, so warm jobs do not go cold while the floor is busy.
AI that handles enquiries and the routine admin
Our AI answers enquiries, qualifies orders and deals with routine requests around the clock, on web chat, phone and email. A trade enquiry that lands at 9pm gets a reply and a captured lead, not a missed call. Your team gets on with production while the admin looks after itself, and anything that needs a human is handed straight to one.
Take deposits and get paid faster with next-day settlement
Take deposits, send invoices and get paid faster with next-day settlement. Whether the order lands on the trade counter, around the unit or out at a show, you can take a card payment anywhere with the right reader. We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and the readers connect over wifi or a built-in 4G SIM so you are not tied to one spot. Card rates start from 0.3%, and the exact rate depends on the card type and your business, so we confirm it with you at setup.
Connect your production and accounting tools
Link up your production, accounting and CRM tools so data flows without anyone re-keying it. We support a growing range of tools, so your systems talk to each other and the whole operation works from one set of figures. A deposit taken on the floor reaches your accounts; an order from the website reaches your job sheet, without the double entry.
From quote to delivery, joined up
Pick what you need today and add the rest as you grow. Everything talks to everything else.
EPOS and till systems
Record trade-counter, rep and trade-show sales against the right order and stock record.
Learn moreCard payments and invoices
Take deposits, send invoices and get paid faster, with next-day settlement.
Learn moreFirst Essential One
Quotes, orders, customers and follow-ups in one place, with automation built in.
Learn moreAI Solutions
Answer enquiries, qualify orders and handle routine requests around the clock.
Learn moreThe right hardware
Countertop, portable and mobile card readers, on the counter or out at a show.
Learn moreIntegrations
Connect your production, accounting and CRM tools so data flows without re-keying.
Learn moreWebsite and web apps
A trade site or ordering portal, connected to your payments, stock and CRM.
Learn moreBranded print
Branded packaging, labels and promo, consistent across every touchpoint.
Learn moreWhat does your manufacturing setup look like?
Different operations need a different mix. Here is where most manufacturers start.
Trade counter and wholesale
EPOS plus countertop card machine, with CRM tying every trade-account sale to the customer record and their pricing.
EPOS for trade countersMade-to-order and projects
First Essential One for quotes, deposits and follow-ups, with portable card readers for site and deposit payments.
See the platformHigh enquiry volume
AI to answer and qualify enquiries day and night, plus automation to chase quotes so warm jobs do not go cold.
Explore AI SolutionsCard machine and EPOS pricing for manufacturers, in plain English
We would rather tell you how it works than bury it. Here is how we compare with how some providers price the same thing.
| What you want to know | First Essential | Some providers |
|---|---|---|
| Card machine cost | Free card machine when you take EPOS with us. | Monthly hardware rental, often on a separate line, sometimes for years. |
| Card rate | From 0.3%. The exact rate depends on card type and your business, confirmed at setup. | Headline rate that may not apply to the cards your customers actually use. |
| Contract and lock-in | We talk you through the terms before you sign. No surprise multi-year tie-in slipped into the small print. | Long fixed terms are common, with early-exit fees buried in the contract. |
| Settlement | Next-day settlement, 7 days a week. | Often a few working days, slower over weekends and bank holidays. |
| What is included | EPOS, card payments, CRM, AI and your website can all run on one platform. | One product only. The rest is somebody else's subscription. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of First Essential One. Free AI demo too. | Demo gated behind a sales call before you see anything. |
| Support | UK-based real human support, 7 days. Real people to call, not just a help page. | Overseas call centre or chat-only, with the phone line hard to find. |
We compare ourselves with how the market tends to price and contract, not with any one named rival. Your final figures are always confirmed in writing before you commit. Card rates start from 0.3%; the exact rate depends on the card type and your business, confirmed at setup.
What could one connected system give back?
A rough guide to the admin time you might save by stopping the double data entry between systems. Move the sliders to your numbers.
This is an illustrative estimate based only on the figures you enter, not a guarantee of results. Actual savings vary by business. Book a demo and we will work through your real numbers with you.
EPOS and card machine questions for UK manufacturers
What is the best EPOS and card machine setup for a UK manufacturer?
How much does a card machine cost, and is there really a free one?
Is there a long contract or lock-in?
Can I switch from my current till, terminal or accounts software without losing data?
How quickly do I get paid, and how does settlement work?
Is my data secure and GDPR compliant?
Do I get real UK support, or just an app?
Make your operation run leaner
Book a free, no-obligation demo and we will shape the right card payments, EPOS, CRM and AI setup around the way you produce. Or see the industries we serve and who we are.
Book a demo