ACTIVE HANDLING SYSTEMS LIMITED
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 83). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -63% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 10.3y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 10.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover 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 | £1.80M | £1.77M |
| Current assets | £1.16M | £1.29M |
| Cash | £154.2k | £416.4k |
| Debtors | £908.7k | £818.7k |
| Net assets | £1.65M | £1.64M |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-07📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2022-03-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-17📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-03-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-01-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-28📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-01-28📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2019-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-26📄capital-alter-shares-subdivisioncapital · SH02
- 2018-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-24🔒Charge registered #2Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2016-01-12🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 2010-03-03🏢Company incorporatedAs ACTIVE HANDLING SYSTEMS LIMITED
- 2010-03-03➕EDWARDS, Karl Nigel appointedsecretary
- 2010-03-03➕EDWARDS, Karl Nigel appointeddirector
- 2010-03-03➕EDWARDS, William John Nigel appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 83 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 16 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
1 high ·Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2026-03-17
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Karl Nigel Edwards Individual · British · DOB 10/1973 · age 53 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (3 active · 0 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 24/03/2016 | — | |
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | A registered charge | — | 12/01/2016 | — |