A E SMITH ENGINEERING LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
06810096 · ltd · incorporated 2009-02-04
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Machining
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 70-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 70). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 15.4y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 15.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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 (1 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
61 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.
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 | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 8 | 800 |
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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-06📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-02-06📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-02-06📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-06📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-12-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-06-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-01📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2018-05-01📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2018-05-01📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2018-05-01📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2018-03-29➖CURTIS, Janice Jane resignedsecretary
- 2018-03-29➖CURTIS, Janice Jane resigneddirector
- 2011-02-04🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2011-01-19🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2010-12-16🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2009-02-04🏢Company incorporatedAs A E SMITH ENGINEERING LIMITED
- 2009-02-04➕SMITH, Robert Charles appointeddirector
- 2009-02-04➕CURTIS, Janice Jane appointedsecretary
- 2009-02-04➕LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-02-04➖LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-02-04➕COWDRY, John Jeremy Arthur appointeddirector
- 2009-02-04➖COWDRY, John Jeremy Arthur resigneddirector
- 2009-02-04➕CURTIS, Janice Jane appointeddirector
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 "SMITH" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
98/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 70 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 17 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 Robert Charles Smith Individual · British · DOB 07/1956 · age 70 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Janice Jane Curtisceased 29/03/2018· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1STMAN LTD→ 13820623 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A A MASON LIMITED→ 06636917 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| A.F. PLANT & ENGINEERING SERVICES LTD→ 10910609 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| AARDVARK JEWELLERY LIMITED→ 04878002 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ABACUS UPHOLSTERY LIMITED→ 13313380 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ABEC (ME) LTD→ 13497695 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ABEC LTD→ 06143642 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| ABERLINK LIMITED→ 07642245 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ABLE2 WEAR LIMITED→ 10809165 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ACCURATE BOILER SERVICES LTD→ 16719736 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACCUTEC LIMITED→ 05740499 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| ACORN THORN LTD.→ 03094490 · est 1995 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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
Incorporated2009-02-04
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25620 — Machining
Registered office
4 Mackenzie Way
Manor Road
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL51 9TX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-18
Last: 2026-02-04
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
SMITH, Robert Charles→
Activedirector · ~70y · appointed 2009-02-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CURTIS, Janice Jane→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2009-02-04 · resigned 2018-03-29
LONDON LAW SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2009-02-04 · resigned 2009-02-04
COWDRY, John Jeremy Arthur→
Resigneddirector · ~82y · appointed 2009-02-04 · resigned 2009-02-04
CURTIS, Janice Jane→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2009-02-04 · resigned 2018-03-29
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 19/01/2011 | — | |
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Legal charge | 2 properties | 16/12/2010 | 04/02/2011 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (61 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-07
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-02-06
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-02-06
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-02-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-06
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-02-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-16