AUTOLIFTS & ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
00515792 · ltd · incorporated 1953-02-04
Investment thesis
Looks cheap but ownership + security both unclear — probable value trap.
Why interesting: Headline metrics may be attractive.
Why risky: No PSC visibility combined with multiple live charges; transacting likely slow and expensive.
🔒Estimated value
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Turnover
not disclosed
Net worth
book net assets
Opportunity
42/100
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 3420
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed admin-neglect survivor — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 42/100 (watch), bankability 2/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Asset purchase likely safer than share purchase given structural signals. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: asset disposal / carve-out (80/100). Current lenders should be on immediate intervention.

🏦

Refinance opportunity

7 live charges · 6 lenders · oldest 46.1y

25/100
too messy

Structure is too messy for a clean refinance right now — clean up first or expect bespoke terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 46.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 6 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 55/100 (high).

Data confidence

Overall: low (50/100)

Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
7 charges (7/7 with lender, 7/7 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (4 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
74 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
42/100Watch
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Not actionable now, but monitor — distressed, succession, or structural changes could flip this into a real opportunity.

Business quality
15
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
12
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (35 events)Click to expand
  1. 2014-01-24
    📄
    restoration-order-of-court
    restoration · AC92
  2. 2002-11-12
    📄
    gazette-dissolved-compulsary
    gazette · GAZ2
  3. 2002-07-30
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsary
    gazette · GAZ1
  4. 2002-03-21
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · 405(2)
  5. 2002-03-06
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · 405(2)
  6. 2002-03-06
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  7. 2001-12-30
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  8. 2000-12-06
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  9. 2000-03-20
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · 405(2)
  10. 1999-12-06
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  11. 1999-02-09
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  12. 1998-03-11
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · 405(2)
  13. 1998-01-02
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  14. 1997-01-16
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  15. 1996-02-13
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  16. 1995-01-25
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  17. 1995-01-01
    📄
    selection-of-documents-registered-before-January-1995
    historical · PRE95
  18. 1994-01-25
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  19. 1993-01-14
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
    insolvency · 3.6
  20. 1992-11-16
    📍
    legacy
    address · 287
  21. 1992-01-22
    ⚠️
    liquidation-receiver-administrative-receivers-report
    insolvency · 3.10
  22. 1991-12-06
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · SPEC PEN
  23. 1991-12-06
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · SPEC PEN
  24. 1991-12-04
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · SPEC PEN
  25. 1991-11-19
    ⚠️
    legacy
    insolvency · SPEC PEN
  26. 1990-01-05
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  27. 1990-01-05
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  28. 1988-12-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: S.G. Warburg & Co. LTD as Agent and Trustee for the Banks as Defined in the Schedule to FORMM395 Reg M270
  29. 1988-12-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: S.G. Warburg & Co. LTD as Agent and Trustee for the Banks as Defined in the Schedule to FORMM395 Ref M294
  30. 1988-12-16
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: S.G. Warburg & Co. LTD as Agent and Trustee for the Banks as Defined in the Schedule to FORMM395 Ref M247
  31. 1988-06-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: S.G. Warburg & Co. Ltdas Agent and Trustee for the Banks (As Defined)
  32. 1988-06-30
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: S.G. Warburg & Co. Ltdas Agent and Trustee for the Banks and the Overdraft Bank (As Defined)
  33. 1980-12-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  34. 1980-06-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  35. 1953-02-04
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As AUTOLIFTS & ENGINEERING COMPANY LIMITED

Owner dependency

65/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

70/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 83 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 73 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

3 high · 2 med · 1 low
Accounts overdue
high

Statutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.

Evidence: Next due: 1998-10-31

Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2017-07-06

20 insolvency-related filings on record
high

Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.

Evidence: 2002-03-21: legacy; 2002-03-06: legacy

Has insolvency history
medium

Companies House flags prior insolvency events. Review the insolvency filings for context.

Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

5 live charges
low

Heavily leveraged with multiple live security positions — understand the capital structure before proceeding.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

13 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1953-02-04
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC3420 — SIC 3420

Registered office

St Andrew's House
20 St Andrew Street
London
EC4A 3AD

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 1998-10-31OVERDUE
Last made up to:
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2017-07-06OVERDUE
Last:

Officers (4 active · 0 resigned)

BUTLER, Andrew
secretary
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BUTLER, Andrew
director · ~71y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DAVIES, James Frederick
director · ~78y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
JOHNSON, Richard Charles
director · ~83y
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

7
Total charges
5
Outstanding
5
Active lenders
Status:Lender:7 of 7 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
S.G. Warburg & Co. as Agent and Trustee for the Banks as Defined in the Schedule to FORMM395 Reg M270
S.G. Warburg & Co. LTD as Agent and Trustee for the Banks as Defined in the Schedule to FORMM395 Reg M270
Deed of variation1 property16/12/1988
outstanding
S.G. Warburg & Co. as Agent and Trustee for the Banks as Defined in the Schedule to FORMM395 Ref M294
S.G. Warburg & Co. LTD as Agent and Trustee for the Banks as Defined in the Schedule to FORMM395 Ref M294
Deed of variation1 property16/12/1988
outstanding
S.G. Warburg & Co. as Agent and Trustee for the Banks as Defined in the Schedule to FORMM395 Ref M247
S.G. Warburg & Co. LTD as Agent and Trustee for the Banks as Defined in the Schedule to FORMM395 Ref M247
Deed of variation1 property16/12/1988
outstanding
S.G. Warburg & Co. Ltdas Agent and Trustee for the Banks (As Defined)
Composite guarantee & debenture1 property30/06/1988
outstanding
S.G. Warburg & Co. Ltdas Agent and Trustee for the Banks and the Overdraft Bank (As Defined)
Composite guarantee & debenture1 property30/06/1988
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Further guarantee & debenture1 property15/12/198005/01/1990
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Guarantee & debenture1 property24/06/198005/01/1990
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (74 total)

restoration-order-of-court
restoration · AC92
2014-01-24
gazette-dissolved-compulsary
gazette · GAZ2
2002-11-12
gazette-notice-compulsary
gazette · GAZ1
2002-07-30
legacy
insolvency · 405(2)
2002-03-21
legacy
insolvency · 405(2)
2002-03-06
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
2002-03-06
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
2001-12-30
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
2000-12-06
legacy
insolvency · 405(2)
2000-03-20
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
1999-12-06
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
1999-02-09
legacy
insolvency · 405(2)
1998-03-11
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
1998-01-02
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
1997-01-16
liquidation-receiver-abstract-of-receipts-and-payments
insolvency · 3.6
1996-02-13