ABLE ENGINEERING LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
02192690 · ltd · incorporated 1987-11-12
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Machining
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 79-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 79). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 2 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 38.4y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 38.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 4 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
110 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | — | £332.5k |
| Current assets | — | £323.8k |
| Cash | — | £71.9k |
| Debtors | — | £181.2k |
| Net assets | — | £322.2k |
| Average employees | 1300 | — |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →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 (24 events)Click to expand
- 2025-06-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-08-20📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-08-20📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2023-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-26📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2016-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-29📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-03-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2011-10-27➖FOREMAN, Keith Duke resigneddirector
- 2004-11-25➕FOREMAN, Keith Duke appointeddirector
- 2004-06-30➕FOREMAN, Ian appointedsecretary
- 2004-06-30➖FOREMAN, Gordon James resignedsecretary
- 2004-06-30➖SMITH, Patrick John resigneddirector
- 2003-12-15➖GRIMES, George Robert resigneddirector
- 1992-04-27🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1988-01-19🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1987-11-12🏢Company incorporatedAs ABLE ENGINEERING LIMITED
Owner dependency
90/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 79 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 79 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 39 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Gordon James Foreman Individual · British · DOB 10/1947 · age 79 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 20/08/2024 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Gordon James Foremanceased 20/08/2024· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · firm interest
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A & J SERVICES (LINCS) LTD→ 12459771 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
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| A.J. POWER (GB) LIMITED→ 13943124 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ADVANCED THERMOSETS LIMITED→ 02873072 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| AERODYNE GLOBAL LIMITED→ 09535922 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| AEROTATION DESIGN SERVICES LIMITED→ 03548511 · est 1998 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| AETHER ZENITH LIMITED→ 15500812 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AFE GROUP LIMITED→ 03872673 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| AFG ELECTRICAL LIMITED→ 11535551 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AGN COMPOSITES LTD→ 11105797 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AGRIENG LIMITED→ 08135336 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated1987-11-12
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25620 — Machining
Registered office
1 Hamlin Way
Hardwick Narrows
King's Lynn
Norfolk
PE30 4NG
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-30
Last: 2025-07-16
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
Active
Active
FOREMAN, Gordon James→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2004-06-30
FOREMAN, Keith Duke→
Resigneddirector · ~75y · appointed 2004-11-25 · resigned 2011-10-27
GRIMES, George Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · resigned 2003-12-15
SMITH, Patrick John→
Resigneddirector · ~82y · resigned 2004-06-30
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 27/04/1992 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 19/01/1988 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (110 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-06-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-09-30
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-08-20
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-08-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-09-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-09-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-09-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-19