BROWN MCFARLANE LIMITED

📉Decliningactive
SC121113 · ltd · incorporated 1989-11-02
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Stable recent picture — watch for any upcoming trigger event.
Opportunity decay
drifting distress · 6-months
Drifting toward distress — expect more negotiability in 3–6 months, but also more friction.
  • · Lifecycle stage drifting downward
  • · Currently "declining"
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: Other manufacturing n.e.c.
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: conservative operator with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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: strategic trade sale (78/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 29.3y

50/100
clean up first

Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.

  • · Oldest live charge is 29.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Legal-friction score 30/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: high (81/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

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
21 officers (4 active, 21 linked, 16 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
5 connected companies via shared directors
60
Filing history
130 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
🔒Estimated company valuation

Sector-multiple EBITDA, turnover, and NAV-proxy valuation range with confidence tier — derived from extracted iXBRL financials.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
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 102
Profitable
Profit before tax £1,758,000

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Mar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Profit before tax£1.76M£3.19M
Average employees929100

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

3 signals 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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (57 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-12-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-01-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-01-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-11-30
    ➖
    MALEY, Martin David resigned
    director
  10. 2018-11-30
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  11. 2018-07-25
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  12. 2017-07-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-08-17
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  15. 2016-08-15
    ➕
    O'REILLY, Anthony Michael appointed
    director
  16. 2016-08-10
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  17. 2016-08-10
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  18. 2015-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  19. 2015-09-30
    ➖
    BROWN, Kenneth Edward Lindsay resigned
    director
  20. 2015-03-31
    ➖
    KEIZER, Alan resigned
    director
  21. 2014-09-16
    ➖
    RIDDELL, John George resigned
    director
  22. 2014-09-08
    ➕
    MALEY, Martin David appointed
    director
  23. 2013-12-31
    ➖
    WEBSTER, Andrew resigned
    director
  24. 2013-08-01
    ➕
    BROWN, Peter Kenneth appointed
    secretary
  25. 2013-08-01
    ➖
    HEY, Robert Derek resigned
    secretary
  26. 2013-07-31
    ➖
    MORSE, Barry Leslie resigned
    director
  27. 2013-05-31
    ➕
    BROWN, Peter Kenneth appointed
    director
  28. 2013-05-31
    ➖
    EATON, Susan Elizabeth resigned
    secretary
  29. 2013-05-31
    ➕
    HEY, Robert Derek appointed
    secretary
  30. 2013-05-31
    ➖
    EATON, Susan Elizabeth resigned
    director
  31. 2010-03-31
    ➖
    BRIERLEY, John resigned
    director
  32. 2008-09-01
    ➕
    RIDDELL, John George appointed
    director
  33. 2008-08-04
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
  34. 2007-08-01
    ➕
    WEBSTER, Andrew appointed
    director
  35. 2006-08-29
    ➕
    BROWN, Richard Thomas appointed
    director
  36. 2006-08-29
    ➕
    EATON, Susan Elizabeth appointed
    secretary
  37. 2006-08-29
    ➕
    KEIZER, Alan appointed
    director
  38. 2006-07-21
    ➖
    HIGGINS, David resigned
    secretary
  39. 2006-07-21
    ➖
    HIGGINS, David resigned
    director
  40. 2004-04-08
    ➕
    MORSE, Barry Leslie appointed
    director
  41. 2003-09-01
    ➕
    EATON, Susan Elizabeth appointed
    director
  42. 2002-06-30
    ➕
    HIGGINS, David appointed
    secretary
  43. 2002-06-30
    ➖
    SHAW, David Stewart resigned
    secretary
  44. 2002-06-30
    ➖
    SHAW, David Stewart resigned
    director
  45. 2000-10-06
    ➖
    STEELE, Thomas Richard Wilson resigned
    director
  46. 2000-02-15
    ➖
    CRAWFORD, Robert resigned
    director
  47. 2000-01-12
    ➕
    HIGGINS, David appointed
    director
  48. 1997-02-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  49. 1996-04-01
    ➕
    BRIERLEY, John appointed
    director
  50. 1993-07-12
    ➖
    MILLAR, Sydney Alexander resigned
    director
Showing most recent 50 of 57 events

Owner dependency

91/100
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
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BROWN" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 60 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

63/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 60. Early succession window.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 37 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Group structure

A.R. Brown Mcfarlane & Company Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
A.R. Brown Mcfarlane & Company Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
ultimate parent
⬇
BROWN MCFARLANE LIMITED
This company · SC121113

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
A.R. Brown Mcfarlane & Company Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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 · ML postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
BSB STRUCTURAL LTD.→
SC277667 · est 2004
£13.76M
£10.70M–£16.82M
£20.18M—730021y8565y
IMV TECHNOLOGIES UK LIMITED→
SC085981 · est 1983
£5.78M
£4.49M–£7.06M
£16.44M—6642y8359y
RAINBOW BLINDS AND FABRICS LIMITED→
SC191505 · est 1998
£1.52M
£1.18M–£1.86M
£4.18M—510027y8864y
BRYSON TRACTORS LIMITED→
SC235088 · est 2002
£949.1k
£738.2k–£1.16M
——4123y8762y
BROWN MCFARLANE PRECISION ENGINEERING LIMITED→
SC652564 · est 2020
£882.0k
£686.0k–£1.08M
——66y8360y
PARKBURN PRECISION HANDLING SYSTEMS LIMITED→
SC158127 · est 1995
£570.0k
£443.3k–£696.7k
——6831y8569y
MV FRUEHAUF LTD→
SC708376 · est 2021
£150.9k
£117.4k–£184.4k
——1494y8263y
CONSARC ENGINEERING LIMITED→
SC019918 · est 1937 · no financials extracted
————88y8379y
CRANE MAINTAIN LTD→
SC317952 · est 2007
——£852.7k—19y8359y
GLENISLA KILTS LIMITED→
SC217626 · est 2001
——£63.7k—25y8374y
HUGH LOGAN PLANT & ENGINEERING SERVICES LIMITED→
SC060061 · est 1976
——£1.25M—50y8359y
JAMES COWIE & CO. LIMITED→
SC039171 · est 1963 · no financials extracted
————62y8359y
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
Incorporated1989-11-02
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC32990 — Other manufacturing n.e.c.

Registered office

2nd Floor, Maxim 3 Maxim Office Park
Parklands Avenue
Eurocentral
Lanarkshire
ML1 4WQ
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-14
Last: 2025-09-30

Officers (4 active · 17 resigned)

BROWN, Peter Kenneth→
secretary · appointed 2013-08-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BROWN, Peter Kenneth→
director · ~54y · appointed 2013-05-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BROWN, Richard Thomas→
director · ~57y · appointed 2006-08-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
O'REILLY, Anthony Michael→
director · ~60y · appointed 2016-08-15
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
EATON, Susan Elizabeth→
secretary · appointed 2006-08-29 · resigned 2013-05-31
Resigned
HEY, Robert Derek→
secretary · appointed 2013-05-31 · resigned 2013-08-01
Resigned
HIGGINS, David→
secretary · appointed 2002-06-30 · resigned 2006-07-21
Resigned
SHAW, David Stewart→
secretary · appointed 1990-02-26 · resigned 2002-06-30
Resigned
BRIERLEY, John→
director · ~78y · appointed 1996-04-01 · resigned 2010-03-31
Resigned
BROWN, Kenneth Edward Lindsay→
director · ~86y · appointed 1990-02-26 · resigned 2015-09-30
Resigned
CRAWFORD, Robert→
director · ~68y · appointed 1992-01-01 · resigned 2000-02-15
Resigned
EATON, Susan Elizabeth→
director · ~63y · appointed 2003-09-01 · resigned 2013-05-31
Resigned
HIGGINS, David→
director · ~63y · appointed 2000-01-12 · resigned 2006-07-21
Resigned
KEIZER, Alan→
director · ~84y · appointed 2006-08-29 · resigned 2015-03-31
Resigned
MALEY, Martin David→
director · ~66y · appointed 2014-09-08 · resigned 2018-11-30
Resigned
MILLAR, Sydney Alexander→
director · ~81y · appointed 1990-02-26 · resigned 1993-07-12
Resigned
MORSE, Barry Leslie→
director · ~70y · appointed 2004-04-08 · resigned 2013-07-31
Resigned
RIDDELL, John George→
director · ~54y · appointed 2008-09-01 · resigned 2014-09-16
Resigned
SHAW, David Stewart→
director · ~71y · appointed 1990-02-26 · resigned 2002-06-30
Resigned
STEELE, Thomas Richard Wilson→
director · ~81y · appointed 1990-02-26 · resigned 2000-10-06
Resigned

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
TypeProperties
outstanding
HSBC
Hsbc Bank PLC
Floating charge1 property04/08/2008—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Bond & floating charge1 property24/02/199710/08/2016
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (130 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2021-01-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2020-01-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2018-12-21