AUTOMATIC TEST SERVICES LIMITED
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 73). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 36.4y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 36.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 200 | 200 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-30➖HUSSEY, Alan resignedsecretary
- 2023-10-30📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2023-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-29📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-06-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-03📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2019-05-03🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2018-08-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-01📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2003-09-05🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2002-12-20🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 2001-08-04🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2001-07-18➕HUSSEY, Alan appointedsecretary
- 2001-07-18➖ROBINSON, Graham Yorke resignedsecretary
- 2001-07-18➖HEPWORTH, Neville Ian, £R resigneddirector
- 1999-04-01🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1992-09-04➖HAMMOND, Nicholas Simon resignedsecretary
- 1992-09-04➕ROBINSON, Graham Yorke appointedsecretary
- 1991-05-09🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Neville Ian Hepworth
- 1990-02-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1989-12-15🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTOMATIC TEST SERVICES LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 73 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 73 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 37 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 med ·Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Graham Yorke Robinson Individual · British · DOB 12/1953 · age 73 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 05/09/2003 | — | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 20/12/2002 | 03/05/2019 | |
| satisfied | Neville Ian Hepworth | Debenture | 1 property | 09/05/1991 | 04/08/2001 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 16/02/1990 | 01/04/1999 |