AUTOMATIC POWER LTD
💤Zombieactive
04481778 · ltd · incorporated 2002-07-10
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 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 78/100 (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: 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 (78/100)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
6 officers (2 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
63 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
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
90
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 | 2025-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2025-02-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-28📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-02-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-15📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2016-01-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2015-08-06📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-01-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2013-10-02➕FOULKES, Robin James appointedsecretary
- 2013-10-02➖KEARLEY, Neville John resignedsecretary
- 2011-09-10➕JAMES, Owen appointeddirector
- 2011-09-10➖TASSELL, Alan Christopher resigneddirector
- 2003-05-09➕KEARLEY, Neville John appointedsecretary
- 2003-05-09➕TASSELL, Alan Christopher appointeddirector
- 2002-09-25➖RAPID COMPANY SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-09-25➖RAPID NOMINEES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-07-10🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTOMATIC POWER LTD
- 2002-07-10➕RAPID COMPANY SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-07-10➕RAPID NOMINEES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
83/100
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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
78/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 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
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Owen James Individual · British · DOB 10/1967 · age 59 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 10/07/2016 |
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 · TW postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMAC BOAT REPAIRS LTD→ 10915555 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ASHFORD PACKAGING LTD→ 16251220 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ASHFORD PROCESS AND ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS LTD→ 11540149 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| B.LUCILLE LTD→ 15836205 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| BANGHAM & SCRATCHETT OF LONDON LIMITED→ 11616415 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BATHROOMS WORLD LTD→ 16581350 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BC YACHT SERVICES LTD→ 14028616 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BDS TRANS LTD→ 16954851 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BEAUTYLINE LIMITED→ 10162540 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| BEE GIFT LTD→ 14445127 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BELL BOOKS (JANE GORE) LIMITED→ 00645178 · est 1959 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 66y | — | — |
| BELLCHAMBERS CARPENTRY LTD→ 16445922 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2002-07-10
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC32990 — Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Registered office
14 Castle Mews
Hampton
TW12 2NP
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-24
Last: 2025-07-10
Officers (2 active · 4 resigned)
FOULKES, Robin James→
Activesecretary · appointed 2013-10-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
KEARLEY, Neville John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-05-09 · resigned 2013-10-02
RAPID COMPANY SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-07-10 · resigned 2002-09-25
TASSELL, Alan Christopher→
Resigneddirector · ~81y · appointed 2003-05-09 · resigned 2011-09-10
RAPID NOMINEES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-07-10 · resigned 2002-09-25
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (63 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2026-01-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-07-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-02-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-01-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-07-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-01-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-07-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-01-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-01-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-07-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2020-02-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-07-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2019-01-16