Adaptainer

Adaptainer: shipping container sales, hire and conversions from Ipswich

Adaptainer Limited supplies new and used shipping containers and carries out container conversions, operating from Reliant House on Fore Street in Ipswich, Suffolk. The company states it has been supplying containers since 1989, more than 35 years, and reports over 500,000 new and used containers delivered. Its stock is held across 17 depots spread throughout the UK, a structure the company presents as a way to keep delivery costs down and shorten delivery times.

Buying a container

The sales side covers standard sizes of 10ft, 20ft, 40ft and 45ft, plus a 20ft full side access unit. The catalogue also lists refrigerated containers, tunnel containers, flat rack containers and containers intended for storage. Buyers choose between new units, described as built by Adaptainer with a five-year wind-and-watertight warranty, and used ex-shipping-line units sold with signs of previous use and a three-month wind-and-watertight warranty. New containers are usually stocked in green and blue; second-hand units come in a range of colours depending on available stock, and repainting in a chosen colour is offered for an additional charge.

Hire with a minimum term

Container hire is aimed at temporary storage without the upfront cost of purchase. The company advertises four weeks free hire on a minimum 12-week term, with delivery and collection charges applying. Hire options include storage containers and refrigerated container hire (reefers).

Conversions and bespoke builds

Beyond supplying units, Adaptainer fits windows, doors, stairs, shelving and twistlocks for stacking, and takes on conversion work ranging from adding a door to individual containers to complex multi-container developments. Documented uses include site offices, classrooms, meeting rooms, workshops, generator housing and pop-up bars. The company cites specific projects: 42 converted containers over two levels for Watford Market in Hertfordshire; conversion consultancy for the Marseilles International Fashion Centre (MIF68) in France; a 20ft full side access container with serving hatch for a London pop-up burger bar; and converted containers for BoxPark Croydon. Other listed applications include a beer cellar conversion, a school classroom, a press box, a ticket office, a site office complex, a model car racing control room, a boiler room, an aviation fuel tank conversion and a shipping container observatory.

The XL Vent Container

Adaptainer highlights its XL Vent Container, developed to address condensation that can form inside a container even when it is watertight. The design incorporates patented airflow features: two oversized door vents, a recessed airflow rail and vents along both sides. A security lockbox is fitted as standard on this model.

How ordering works

Quotes are built around size, whether the unit is new or used, quantity and the delivery postcode, and every quoted price includes delivery to the site from the depot network. The company says it confirms a delivery date once payment is received and, for urgent orders, advises checking availability first. A delivery questionnaire is sent on ordering to flag possible access problems, and a delivery checklist guide accompanies quote requests. Each project is assigned a dedicated account manager, and completion dates are planned around workshop capacity.

Customers and guarantees

Adaptainer states that leading self-storage operators buy from it, alongside growing operators. A case study describes RHP Storage, a farm diversification at Claines in Worcester, which began with a handful of XL Vent Containers and now runs more than 100 on the farm. Other cited buyers span construction, film and television, retail and hospitality, and private individuals purchasing a single container. The company also advertises a best container price guarantee, which it says applies to qualifying purchases of up to three new one-trip containers compared with a written quote from a recognised UK container supplier, covering the container price and not delivery.

Company details

Adaptainer Limited is registered at 166 College Road, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 1RA, with Companies House number 02360563, and states it is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under FRN828569.