A-BAX PRECISION ENGINEERING LTD
💤Zombieactive
05913615 · ltd · incorporated 2006-08-22
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 Nov 2024
Net worth
£125.0k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Machining
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 61). 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).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 19.5y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 19.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 1 with DOB)
74
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
54 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 · FRS 105 (micro)Positive net assets
Net assets £125,001
Net assets shrinking
Down £45,619 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£125k
↓ 27% YoY
Current Assets
£125k
↓ 1.5% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2024-11-30 | 2023-11-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £139.4k | £197.4k |
| Current assets | £125.0k | £126.9k |
| Net assets | £125.0k | £170.6k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-15📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2018-05-15🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2017-05-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-01📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2015-10-01📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2015-09-23➕BAXENDALE, Carolyn appointedsecretary
- 2015-09-23➖BAXENDALE, Zena Pamela resignedsecretary
- 2015-08-24📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-07-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2012-08-01🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2011-11-21🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Lombard North Central PLC
- 2006-11-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2006-08-23➕BAXENDALE, Alan Guy appointeddirector
- 2006-08-23➕BAXENDALE, Zena Pamela appointedsecretary
- 2006-08-23➖HCS SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-08-23➖HANOVER DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2006-08-22🏢Company incorporatedAs A-BAX PRECISION ENGINEERING LTD
- 2006-08-22➕HCS SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2006-08-22➕HANOVER DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
93/100
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 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — 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 61. 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 20 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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 Alan Guy Baxendale Individual · British · DOB 08/1965 · age 61 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board controlsig. influence50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control · significant influence | 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 · NN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10X5CNC LTD→ 16610737 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12906787 LTD→ 12906787 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 21ST CENTURY PRINT LIMITED→ 10321122 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| 2AGES PROJECTS LTD→ 15862276 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| 3 FFF LIMITED→ 06236589 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| 3A&V CONSTRUCTION LTD→ 16561439 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3D TIME LTD→ 13009525 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 3DESIGN LTD→ 16533219 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3E (UK) LTD→ 06715061 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| 3JMIE LTD→ 15826284 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| A AND M PLANTERS LIMITED→ 14163255 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| A.C.A. HOWE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→ 09874786 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2006-08-22
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25620 — Machining
Registered office
Crown Works
27 Field Street
Kettering
Northamptonshire
NN16 8EL
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-11-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-05
Last: 2025-08-22
Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)
BAXENDALE, Carolyn→
Activesecretary · appointed 2015-09-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BAXENDALE, Alan Guy→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2006-08-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BAXENDALE, Zena Pamela→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2006-08-23 · resigned 2015-09-23
HCS SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2006-08-22 · resigned 2006-08-23
HANOVER DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2006-08-22 · resigned 2006-08-23
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lombard North Central Lombard North Central PLC | Chattel mortgage | 1 property | 21/11/2011 | 15/05/2018 | |
| satisfied | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 16/11/2006 | 01/08/2012 |
Recent filings (54 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-17
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-11-15
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-08-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-22
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-08-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-08-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-07-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2018-08-31