ADVANCED TEST EQUIPMENT LIMITED
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 70/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (69/100)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
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsFinancials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.4k |
| Current assets | £181.2k |
| Cash | £141.0k |
| Debtors | £40.2k |
| Net assets | £1.4k |
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 officers
- • 1 officers
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (9 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-04📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-12-31➖MOWER, Richard George William resigneddirector
- 2025-12-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-15📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2024-07-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-21🏢Company incorporatedAs ADVANCED TEST EQUIPMENT LIMITED
- 2022-10-21➕SMALLER, Martin Nicholas appointeddirector
- 2022-10-21➕MOWER, Richard George William appointeddirector
- 2022-10-21📄incorporation-companyincorporation · NEWINC
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
Red flags
cleanShareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Martin Nicholas Smaller Individual · British · DOB 07/1963 · age 63 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 21/10/2022 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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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 (1 active · 1 resigned)
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