Member Article

Global expansion plan for city firm after Commonwealth Games medal cases honour

The owner of a Birmingham case making company which produced boxes for the athletes’ medals at the Commonwealth Games has spoken of his pride and hopes it will put his business firmly on the global stage. Birmingham Case Makers managing director Shaun Adams said he hoped to turn the tide of cheaper imports that have flooded the UK market and make his business the go-to firm for organisers of international and domestic events across the world. Shaun said: “The Commonwealth Games has been a fantastic success and Birmingham has done us all proud. We have been in the city for more than 40 years so it was very meaningful and incredibly special to be able to play a small part in that by supplying the boxes for the medals. “I couldn’t be any prouder of our home city and our team here at Birmingham Case Makers. “We now want to share our expertise overseas and spread the word so that organisers of international competitions come to us knowing we will supply the highest quality, bespoke, handmade presentation boxes for medals and awards.” Birmingham Case Makers was once one of around 30 specialist case-making companies in the Jewellery Quarter, but, unable to compete with cheaper imports from overseas, many folded and the business is now among the last of its kind. The business, now based in Great Lister Street, has a host of high-profile clients, producing cases for the Government, the Football Association, the Premier League, Rugby League and many more. It even has the Royal Family on its order books, making cases for honours from CBEs to Knighthoods and supplying boxes for commemorative medals given out to the Queen’s own household staff. Despite this, the firm’s name is generally unknown. Shaun said: “The name inside the boxes is always the medal-maker’s, not ours. “We are the untold story, the hidden maker. No-one knows about us, but we bring the added value that makes the medal the honour it is. “A beautiful medal in a cotton bag is OK. A hand-crafted, bespoke presentation case with nothing inside it is the same. But together, they add up to more than the sum of the parts. This is not just packaging; it is something to be kept and displayed and treasured alongside the medal within.” Shaun said the firm completed the contract to produce 2,000 Commonwealth Games medal cases in just two months – a job that would usually take five. “The timescale was tight and we had problems along the way with raw materials not being good enough quality and staff sickness with Covid, but we kept going and got the job done,” he said. “All of the materials are British-supplied and sourced, and mostly locally-sourced. It is a great source of pride to us that we were not only involved but that we were able to turn this around so quickly.” Shaun took over at Birmingham Case Makers in 2012 after visiting it in his capacity as a business adviser for the Government. The business had to stop trading as it became insolvent, but Shaun saw its potential. “It had a great product and a fantastic client base but it was the worst commercially-managed business I had seen. I didn’t want this business and trade to disappear …I liked it so much I bought the company! “Being involved with the Commonwealth Games has been a real highlight of the past 10 years and I hope it leads us to an even brighter future,” he added.

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