ATLAS COMBUSTION ENGINEERING LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
02999317 · ltd · incorporated 1994-12-07
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
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 25210
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 43999Other specialised construction activities n.e.c.
- 71129Other engineering activities
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 70-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 70). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (56/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
3 officers (2 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
75 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
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 (20 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-19📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-04-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-14📄accounts-amended-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AAMD
- 2020-03-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-16📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-05➖STILES, Blake Alan resigneddirector
- 2018-06-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-05-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-21➕STILES, Blake Alan appointeddirector
- 2016-10-21📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2016-09-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-01-06📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 1994-12-07🏢Company incorporatedAs ATLAS COMBUSTION ENGINEERING LIMITED
- 1994-12-07➕STILES, Carol Ann appointedsecretary
- 1994-12-07➕STILES, Douglas Peter appointeddirector
Owner dependency
100/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 32 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
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 70 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 32 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 Douglas Peter Stiles Individual · English · DOB 06/1956 · age 70 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Carol Ann Stiles Individual · British · DOB 05/1961 · age 65 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
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 · DA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK CONVENIENT SOLUTIONS LTD→ 12105956 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ARION FIRE SOLUTIONS LTD→ 11317989 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ARTHUR MORRISON LTD→ 11008058 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ARTISAN PRINT SERVICES LTD→ 05208596 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| ASCENT DESIGN TO PRINT LIMITED→ 05279669 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| ASL LIFTING LTD→ 14635316 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ASMARINA FASHION LIMITED→ 13643265 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ATTOLLO LIFTS LTD→ 14037755 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AUDREY LONDON ATELIER LTD→ 14032461 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AURELYS LTD→ 16898827 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AXIOM AUDIO LTD→ 13678389 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| AXTON'S STAIRCASES LTD→ 16766803 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated1994-12-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25210 — SIC 25210
Registered office
183 Downs Road Downs Road
Istead Rise
Gravesend
Kent
DA13 9HF
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-22
Last: 2025-12-08
Officers (2 active · 1 resigned)
Active
STILES, Douglas Peter→
Activedirector · ~70y · appointed 1994-12-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
STILES, Blake Alan→
Resigneddirector · ~41y · appointed 2016-10-21 · resigned 2019-04-05
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (75 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-05-19
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-04-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-04-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-25
accounts-amended-with-made-up-date
accounts · AAMD
2020-10-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-03-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-12-20