ACE FABRICATORS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05047750 · ltd · incorporated 2004-02-18
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 Mar 2026
Net worth
£202.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 68). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 2.7y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Newest facility, 2.7 years old — likely still in initial term.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (3 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
59 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £202,442
Cash YoY
-14%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£101k
↓ 14% YoY
Net Worth
£202k
↑ 46% YoY
Current Assets
£399k
↓ 1.9% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2026-03-31 | 2025-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £202.4k | £142.0k |
| Current assets | £398.7k | £406.4k |
| Cash | £100.6k | £117.3k |
| Debtors | £286.0k | £281.8k |
| Net assets | £202.4k | £138.7k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 signals 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
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2026-02-12📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-09-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-13📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-10-11🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2023-07-06📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-07-05➕WILLIAMS, Lee appointeddirector
- 2022-11-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-09➖REED, Dennis Kevin resigneddirector
- 2021-06-09📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2020-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2009-02-23➕REED, Michael Stephen appointeddirector
- 2004-02-20➕REED, Cheryl Kathleen appointedsecretary
- 2004-02-20➖TEMPLES (NOMINEES) LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-02-20➕REED, Dennis Kevin appointeddirector
- 2004-02-20➖TEMPLES (COMPANY SERVICES) LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2004-02-18🏢Company incorporatedAs ACE FABRICATORS LIMITED
- 2004-02-18➕TEMPLES (NOMINEES) LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2004-02-18➕TEMPLES (COMPANY SERVICES) LTD 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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
69/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
- 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 Michael Stephen Reed Individual · British · DOB 05/1958 · age 68 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Dennis Kevin Reedceased 10/08/2021· 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 · CM postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A H ELECTRICAL & EV SERVICES LTD→ 13741120 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A J L ELECTRICAL SALES LIMITED→ 04581848 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| ACS CARPENTRY LTD→ 16683891 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACTION HANDLING EQUIPMENT LIMITED→ 00985730 · est 1970 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 55y | — | — |
| AD TOTAL FAB LTD→ 13164328 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AD-TEK FINISHINGS LIMITED→ 04973242 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| AG OIL LTD→ 13278177 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AINSWORTH TECHNICAL SERVICES LTD→ 11343781 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AIR COMPRESSOR ENGINEERING LTD→ 06982309 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| AIR PUMPING LIMITED→ 03936996 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
| AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING SERVICES LIMITED→ 11492514 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AIRVENT SOLUTIONS LTD→ 16814889 · 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
Incorporated2004-02-18
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25110 — Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures
Registered office
Bleak House
146 High Street
Billericay
Essex
CM12 9DF
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-12-31
Last made up to: 2026-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-04
Last: 2026-02-18
Officers (3 active · 3 resigned)
REED, Cheryl Kathleen→
Activesecretary · appointed 2004-02-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
REED, Michael Stephen→
Activedirector · ~68y · appointed 2009-02-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WILLIAMS, Lee→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2023-07-05
View their other companies + combined net worth →
TEMPLES (NOMINEES) LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2004-02-18 · resigned 2004-02-20
REED, Dennis Kevin→
Resigneddirector · ~72y · appointed 2004-02-20 · resigned 2021-06-09
TEMPLES (COMPANY SERVICES) LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-02-18 · resigned 2004-02-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | — | 11/10/2023 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (59 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-05-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-07
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-03
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-05
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-10-13
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-07-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-07
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-08-11
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2021-06-09