ADIE & SONS (PLATE LAYING) LTD
💤Zombieactive
04608272 · ltd · incorporated 2002-12-04
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£2.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other engineering activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with exceptional profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 59). 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 (75/100)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
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
56 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £2,402
Net assets shrinking
Down £2,420 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£2k
↓ 50% YoY
Current Assets
£15k
↓ 7.5% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £2.4k | £4.8k |
| Current assets | £14.7k | £15.9k |
| Net assets | £2.4k | £4.8k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-13📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2021-12-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-11➖MORRIS, Ronald William resignedsecretary
- 2020-12-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2015-12-15📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-07-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2014-12-18📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-08-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2002-12-09➖FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-12-09➖FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2002-12-04🏢Company incorporatedAs ADIE & SONS (PLATE LAYING) LTD
- 2002-12-04➕ADIE, James appointeddirector
- 2002-12-04➕MORRIS, Ronald William appointedsecretary
- 2002-12-04➕FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2002-12-04➕FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ADIE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
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.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- 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 · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr James Adie Individual · British · DOB 11/1967 · age 59 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 04/12/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGILE PROCUREMENT SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ 11410792 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
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| ALLBART STORAGE LIMITED→ 14623534 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ALLTHINGS POP MUSIC PROMO LTD→ 16155031 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALP SITE SERVICES LTD→ 15240622 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ALPHA & OMEGA MD LTD→ 15166748 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ALTRYTE LIMITED→ 05079916 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ALTUN LAW LTD→ 17122818 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ALWAYS EVENT TOILETS LTD→ 14126945 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AM MACHINE TOOLS LTD→ 14148968 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AMANI ADVISORS & CONTRACTORS LTD→ 08243111 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
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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
Incorporated2002-12-04
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC71129 — Other engineering activities
Registered office
Unit 20 Hopewell Business Centre
105 Hopewell Drive
Chatham
Kent
ME5 7DX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-11
Last: 2025-11-27
Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)
Active
MORRIS, Ronald William→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-12-04 · resigned 2021-11-11
FORM 10 SECRETARIES FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-12-04 · resigned 2002-12-09
FORM 10 DIRECTORS FD LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-12-04 · resigned 2002-12-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (56 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-11-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-20
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-13
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2021-12-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-12-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-12-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-12-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-13