A.C. ENGINEERING (NORTH EAST) LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
03758266 · ltd · incorporated 1999-04-23
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 May 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Machining
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 25990SIC 25990
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (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: 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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 26.8y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 26.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 2 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
9 officers (1 active, 9 linked, 4 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
90 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
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 · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (37 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-05📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-01-05📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-01-05📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2023-12-23➖FORSTER, David resigneddirector
- 2023-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-09📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-06-09📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2022-05-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-19📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2021-07-19📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2021-07-19📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2021-05-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-13📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-04-01➕FORSTER, James Andrew appointeddirector
- 2020-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2015-12-18➖BLAIR, David Allan resignedsecretary
- 2015-12-18➖BLAIR, David Allan resigneddirector
- 2008-05-31➖BLAIR, Carole Anne resignedsecretary
- 2003-01-21➕BLAIR, David Allan appointedsecretary
- 2003-01-06➕BLAIR, Carole Anne appointedsecretary
- 2002-03-28➖WHITING, John Bernard resignedsecretary
- 2001-09-30➖FORSTER, David resigneddirector
- 2001-06-18🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Bibby Factors Northeast Limited
- 1999-08-04🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1999-06-07➕WHITING, John Bernard appointedsecretary
- 1999-06-07➖BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-06-07➕BLAIR, David Allan appointeddirector
- 1999-06-07➕FORSTER, David appointeddirector
- 1999-06-07➕FORSTER, David appointeddirector
- 1999-06-07➖BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1999-04-23🏢Company incorporatedAs A.C. ENGINEERING (NORTH EAST) LIMITED
- 1999-04-23➕BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1999-04-23➕BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
55/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 27 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr James Andrew Forster Individual · British · DOB 03/1991 · age 35 | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 28/06/2021 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr David Forsterceased 23/12/2023· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
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 · NE postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1V1 LONDON LTD→ 17081675 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2PURE PRODUCTS (DISTRIBUTION) LIMITED→ 07816055 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| 3 WIS UK LIMITED→ 15175469 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 786 E&G SOLUTIONS LTD→ 15297926 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 8 BALL DIRECT LTD→ 12551104 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AA COATINGS LTD→ 16545653 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AAA SIGNS LIMITED→ 04339989 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| AAF LIMITED→ 00875806 · est 1966 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 60y | — | — |
| AAP WELDING AND FABRICATION LTD→ 16515012 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AAS HOLDINGS LTD→ 15053829 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AB&C SOLUTIONS LTD→ 06398395 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ABACUS DESIGN AND FABRICATION LIMITED→ 04598025 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 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
Incorporated1999-04-23
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25620 — Machining
Registered office
Unit 6 Stephenson Court
Barrington Industrial Estate
Bedlington
Northumberland
NE22 7DN
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-14
Last: 2025-05-31
Officers (1 active · 8 resigned)
FORSTER, James Andrew→
Activedirector · ~35y · appointed 2021-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BLAIR, Carole Anne→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-01-06 · resigned 2008-05-31
BLAIR, David Allan→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-01-21 · resigned 2015-12-18
WHITING, John Bernard→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1999-06-07 · resigned 2002-03-28
BRIGHTON SECRETARY LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1999-04-23 · resigned 1999-06-07
BLAIR, David Allan→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 1999-06-07 · resigned 2015-12-18
FORSTER, David→
Resigneddirector · ~66y · appointed 1999-06-07 · resigned 2023-12-23
FORSTER, David→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 1999-06-07 · resigned 2001-09-30
BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1999-04-23 · resigned 1999-06-07
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Bibby Financial Services Bibby Factors Northeast Limited | Fixed and floating charge | 1 property | 18/06/2001 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 04/08/1999 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (90 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-01-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-10
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-01-05
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-01-05
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-01-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-02-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-09
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-06-09
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2022-06-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-31
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2021-07-19