ACL (STRUCTURAL STEEL) LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
08351656 · ltd · incorporated 2013-01-08
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
What changed my view
Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
Upgrade to see
Turnover
year to Sept 2024
Net worth
book net assets
Opportunity
69/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 25990
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 69/100 (strong), bankability 65/100. Strong seller-intent signal (63/100, director aged 76). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (71/100)

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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 3 with DOB)
85
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
34 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
69/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
60
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
Net Worth
Current Assets
Current Liabilities

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-09-30
Average employees0

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
1
filing
  • 1 gazette
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • 1 gazette
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-14
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  2. 2025-09-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2025-02-26
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
    accounts · AA01
  4. 2024-05-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-02-29
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
    accounts · AA01
  6. 2023-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-08-26
    📄
    gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
    gazette · DISS40
  8. 2021-08-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2021-08-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-08-10
    📄
    gazette-notice-compulsory
    gazette · GAZ1
  11. 2020-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-02-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2017-07-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-11-08
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  16. 2016-10-28
    GRANT, Colin Michael resigned
    director
  17. 2016-09-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  18. 2016-08-31
    KENYON, David Christopher resigned
    director
  19. 2013-01-08
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ACL (STRUCTURAL STEEL) LIMITED
  20. 2013-01-08
    HOPE, Brian Peter appointed
    secretary
  21. 2013-01-08
    HOPE, Brian Peter appointed
    director
  22. 2013-01-08
    GRANT, Colin Michael appointed
    director
  23. 2013-01-08
    KENYON, David Christopher appointed
    director

Owner dependency

90/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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 age: Director aged approximately 76 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

83/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 76 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 13 years.

Red flags

1 high ·
Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-01-02

Group structure

South Durham Structures Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
South Durham Structures Ltd
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
ACL (STRUCTURAL STEEL) LIMITED
This company · 08351656

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
South Durham Structures Ltd
Corporate entity
75100%
75-100% shares08/01/2017

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 · DL postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
A & N SUPPLIES LTD
16467227 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
A S M SURFACE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
05980687 · est 2006 · no financials extracted
19y
A.R.JOLLY LIMITED
00539975 · est 1954 · no financials extracted
71y
ADVANCE MODULAR LTD
12722812 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
5y
ADVANCED COOLING SYSTEMS LTD
09904399 · est 2015 · no financials extracted
10y
ADVANCED ENERGY MINERALS (UK) LIMITED
12768286 · est 2020 · no financials extracted
5y
AERIAL EXPOSURE LTD
10175155 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
9y
AGBR LTD
13678339 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
4y
AJ PLATES LTD
15995913 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
1y
ALICE & ASTRID LIMITED
03527097 · est 1998 · no financials extracted
28y
ALLURE DEVCO1 LIMITED
14425064 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
3y
ALLURE TRADING LIMITED
14423413 · est 2022 · no financials extracted
3y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

9 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
Incorporated2013-01-08
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC25990 — SIC 25990

Registered office

South Durham Structures Ltd
Dovecot Hill, South Church Ent Park
Bishop Auckland
Co Durham
DL14 6XR

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-01-02OVERDUE
Last: 2024-12-19

Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)

HOPE, Brian Peter
secretary · appointed 2013-01-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
HOPE, Brian Peter
director · ~76y · appointed 2013-01-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
GRANT, Colin Michael
director · ~69y · appointed 2013-01-08 · resigned 2016-10-28
Resigned
KENYON, David Christopher
director · ~48y · appointed 2013-01-08 · resigned 2016-08-31
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (34 total)

gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2026-04-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-12
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2025-02-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-05-23
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2024-02-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-14
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2021-08-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-25
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2021-08-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-18