CLYDEFORTH ENGINEERS & CONTRACTORS LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC130143 · ltd · incorporated 1991-02-21
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: Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 70-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. 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 · 2 lenders · oldest 34.2y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 34.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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, 2 with DOB)
78
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
97 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 | 1700 | 1600 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 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
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-05-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-19📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2021-02-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-04📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-04-01➖CHUDLEIGH, Ian Sinclair resigneddirector
- 2019-02-27➖CHUDLEIGH, Ian Sinclair resignedsecretary
- 2019-02-27📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2018-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-03📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-06-22📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2016-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2005-04-11🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 2003-09-13🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1993-02-28➕CHUDLEIGH, Ian Sinclair appointeddirector
- 1992-01-28🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1991-03-22➕GILCHRIST, Archibald Gardiner appointeddirector
- 1991-03-22➕CHUDLEIGH, Ian Sinclair appointedsecretary
- 1991-03-22➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1991-03-22➖JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 1991-02-21🏢Company incorporatedAs CLYDEFORTH ENGINEERS & CONTRACTORS LIMITED
- 1991-02-21➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1991-02-21➕JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 35 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 70 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
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.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 35 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 35 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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Archibald Gardiner Gilchrist Individual · British · DOB 06/1956 · age 70 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Ian Sinclair Chudleighceased 01/04/2019· 25-50% shares
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 · G postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEACON BROTHERS (PRINTERS) LIMITED→ SC029829 · est 1954 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 72y | — | — |
| DIVERSE SIGNS LIMITED→ SC341555 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| DMG FLOORCARE LTD→ SC351715 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| DOOR SHACK LTD→ SC833233 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DORNIER GROUP UK LTD→ SC827277 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DTECH MACHINE SERVICES LTD→ SC634454 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| EARGEAR LTD→ SC696091 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| EARLUG LIMITED→ SC476544 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ECORAYHEATING LTD→ SC828724 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ECOSSE MAF. CO. LIMITED→ SC177108 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| EDINBURGH COURTS PRESS SERVICES LIMITED→ SC637444 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| EFH TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED→ SC342065 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1991-02-21
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC25110 — Manufacture of metal structures and parts of structures
Registered office
Barclay Curle Complex Enterprise House, Unit 20
739 South Street
Glasgow
G14 0BX
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-07
Last: 2026-02-21
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
GILCHRIST, Archibald Gardiner→
Activedirector · ~70y · appointed 1991-03-22
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CHUDLEIGH, Ian Sinclair→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1991-03-22 · resigned 2019-02-27
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1991-02-21 · resigned 1991-03-22
CHUDLEIGH, Ian Sinclair→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 1993-02-28 · resigned 2019-04-01
JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 1991-02-21 · resigned 1991-03-22
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 | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 11/04/2005 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 28/01/1992 | 13/09/2003 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (97 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-05-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-09-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-08-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-06-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-19
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2021-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-02-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-04-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-12-28