D.& D. ENGINEERING (LINCS.) LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
02994462 · ltd · incorporated 1994-11-24
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Jan 2025
Net worth
£529.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
76/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 76/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -42% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
92 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
76/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
65
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £529,380
Net assets shrinking
Down £4,405 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 42% YoY
Cash YoY
-42%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£200k
↓ 42% YoY
Net Worth
£529k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£613k
↓ 21% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-01-31 | 2024-01-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £655.6k | £650.6k |
| Current assets | £613.1k | £776.1k |
| Cash | £199.5k | £344.7k |
| Debtors | £395.6k | £416.4k |
| Net assets | £529.4k | £533.8k |
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 (32 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-21➕DARBY, Andrew appointeddirector
- 2022-10-21➖DARBY, Andrew resigneddirector
- 2022-10-21📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-10-21📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-10-21📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2022-10-21📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2022-01-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-10-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-04📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2018-12-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-11-30📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2018-11-30📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2018-11-15➖DARBY, Linda resignedsecretary
- 2018-11-15➖DARBY, Leslie Allan resigneddirector
- 2004-12-20➕DARBY, Stephen appointeddirector
- 2004-12-20➕DARBY, Andrew appointeddirector
- 2004-05-31➖DAVIES, Steven Paul resigneddirector
- 1994-11-24🏢Company incorporatedAs D.& D. ENGINEERING (LINCS.) LIMITED
- 1994-11-24➕DARBY, Linda appointedsecretary
- 1994-11-24➕LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1994-11-24➖LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1994-11-24➕DARBY, Leslie Allan appointeddirector
- 1994-11-24➕DAVIES, Steven Paul appointeddirector
- 1994-11-24➕LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1994-11-24➖LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
66/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 32 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Andrew Darby Individual · British · DOB 05/1979 · age 47 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 21/10/2022 |
Mr Stephen Darby Individual · British · DOB 08/1983 · age 43 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 16/09/2018 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Andrew Darbyceased 21/10/2022· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒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 →Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · LN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRICK VAULT LIMITED→ 16052414 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| CARLHORDER LIMITED→ 10546634 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| CHRIS SHARP CABINETS LIMITED→ 02251338 · est 1988 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 37y | — | — |
| COLADAIN SOLUTIONS LTD→ 17052250 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| COOLAIR BUS & RAIL LIMITED→ 06582592 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| COUNTY COATINGS LIMITED→ 11381864 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| D VALLEY MEDIA NETWORK LTD→ 12768750 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| D WORSDALL ENGINEERING LIMITED→ 08577211 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| D.R.WELBOURN LTD→ 04602814 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| DATAEASE LIMITED→ 10209055 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| DAVE HARDWICK SPARES LIMITED→ 08933305 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| DAVIES CONTRACTING & REPAIRS LTD→ 15983336 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated1994-11-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25110 — Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures
Registered office
Block B Dowlands Business Park
Manby
Louth
Lincolnshire
LN11 8UX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-08
Last: 2025-11-24
Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)
DARBY, Andrew→
Activedirector · ~47y · appointed 2022-10-21
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DARBY, Stephen→
Activedirector · ~43y · appointed 2004-12-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DARBY, Linda→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1994-11-24 · resigned 2018-11-15
LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1994-11-24 · resigned 1994-11-24
DARBY, Andrew→
Resigneddirector · ~47y · appointed 2004-12-20 · resigned 2022-10-21
DARBY, Leslie Allan→
Resigneddirector · ~77y · appointed 1994-11-24 · resigned 2018-11-15
DAVIES, Steven Paul→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · appointed 1994-11-24 · resigned 2004-05-31
LONDON LAW SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1994-11-24 · resigned 1994-11-24
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (92 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-07-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-03
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-11-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-10-28
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2022-10-21
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-10-21
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2022-10-21
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2022-10-21
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-01-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-04