Walsall container conversion specialists celebrate big win at 2025 Innovation Awards

The Walsall based company was announced winner of the ‘Manufacturing Innovator of the Year’ category at the awards, which celebrate businesses, organisations and individuals dedicated to innovation, after a year-long process involving a competitive public vote and a panel interview with the judges who were left particularly impressed by the firm's investment in its battery storage and testing range.

Andrew Nicholls, head of conversions at S Jones Containers, said after the awards dinner in Birmingham: “It's been such a long journey so for us to get this recognition now is amazing. Over the last eight years we've been developing our range to provide safe and secure lithium-ion battery storage in converted shipping containers. 

"During that time, we’ve worked hard to establish our reputation as a leading supplier of containerised battery storage and testing solutions in the UK to become a ‘go to’ partner for industry leaders in the automative, energy and engineering sectors. This award is testament to the work we’ve all put in over the years and I’m so proud of all we’ve achieved together.”

Also impressing the judges was S Jones’ commitment to raising awareness of safety, as advice on handling high energy density lithium-ion batteries remains scarce. It was clear to the team that current UK regulations didn’t accurately reflect the risks relating to the manufacture and storage of lithium-ion batteries. So they embarked on a mission to raise awareness which involved hosting two seminar panel discussions at The Fire Safety Event and the Battery Cells and Systems Expo. Both sessions brought together representatives from Electrical Safety First, the Fire Protection Association and Warwick Manufacturing Group.

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Dr Richard Fallon, CEO of the Technology Supply Chain (TSC) membership organisation, which runs the annual Innovation Awards, congratulated S Jones Containers Ltd on the win and said: "We had more entries than ever before this year, and the competition for each category was stronger than it’s ever been. Each winner can be justifiably proud and can look forward to ongoing support from the 5,000-member TSC network as they chart their course to future success.”

The Manufacturing Innovator of the Year title comes at the end of an award-winning year for S Jones, which has achieved recognition with several regional and national award schemes throughout 2025.

It was named Small Manufacturer of the Year at the West Midlands Business Awards. The company was also a finalist at the Made in the Midlands Awards in two categories - Manufacturer of the Year (under £25m) and Manufacturing Innovation, and went on to win the latter. S Jones was also shortlisted in two categories at the Make UK Awards for the Midlands & East region - SME of the Region and Innovation, as well as for the Family Business of the Year award at the Express & Star Business Awards.

In addition to its battery storage and testing units, S Jones Conversions creates bespoke plant rooms, workshops and mobile laboratories with each project delivered in-house by its expert engineers to meet the specific requirements of each project.