JOHN BELL PIPELINE EQUIPMENT COMPANY LIMITED
📉Decliningactive
SC171763 · ltd · incorporated 1997-01-23
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.
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"
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
£14.82M
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 25990
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: conservative operator with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (70/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
6 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 28.9y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 28.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 35/100 — 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
6 charges (6/6 with lender, 6/6 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
107 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
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Profitable
Profit before tax £290,063
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 | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £14.82M | — |
| Gross profit | £4.34M | — |
| Operating profit | £296.9k | — |
| Profit before tax | £290.1k | £1.11M |
| Average employees | 4800 | 4500 |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (43 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-07📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-10-14📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-10-01➖BIANCO, Paolo resigneddirector
- 2025-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-09-24📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2025-09-20➕MACHRAY, Rory Mcrae appointedsecretary
- 2024-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-06📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2017-09-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-02-15📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2017-02-07➖SKINNER, Mark Stephen resigneddirector
- 2016-09-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-mediumaccounts · AA
- 2013-08-07➖THOMSON, Brian resignedsecretary
- 2013-08-07➖THOMSON, Brian Philip resigneddirector
- 2012-02-07➕BIANCO, Jeanne Martine Elizabeth appointeddirector
- 2012-02-07➖SKINNER, Alison Elizabeth resignedsecretary
- 2012-02-07➕THOMSON, Brian appointedsecretary
- 2012-02-07➕BIANCO, Paolo appointeddirector
- 2010-10-13🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 2010-10-09🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 2010-05-29🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2009-06-22🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
- 2008-05-29🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 2006-07-19🔒Charge registered #5Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2006-07-19🔒Charge registered #4Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2005-06-29🔒Charge registered #3Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2001-03-22🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2000-02-23🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 1997-06-04🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1997-01-30➕SKINNER, Alison Elizabeth appointedsecretary
- 1997-01-30➕SKINNER, Mark Stephen appointeddirector
- 1997-01-30➕THOMSON, Brian Philip appointeddirector
- 1997-01-23🏢Company incorporatedAs JOHN BELL PIPELINE EQUIPMENT COMPANY LIMITED
- 1997-01-23➕REID, Brian appointednominee-secretary
- 1997-01-23➖REID, Brian resignednominee-secretary
- 1997-01-23➕MABBOTT, Stephen appointednominee-director
- 1997-01-23➖MABBOTT, Stephen resignednominee-director
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
58/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Group structure
National Tube Stockholders Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
National Tube Stockholders Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
JOHN BELL PIPELINE EQUIPMENT COMPANY LIMITED
This company · SC171763
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
National Tube Stockholders Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Ms Jeanne Martine Elizabeth Bianco Individual · British · DOB 07/1971 · age 55 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Paolo Biancoceased 01/10/2025· significant influence
- Mr Mark Stephen Skinnerceased 07/02/2017· significant influence
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 · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KILRYMONT GEOSCIENCE LIMITED→ SC278627 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| KIRKTON ENTERPRISES LTD→ SC727866 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| KRAKEN SUBSEA LIMITED→ SC625056 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| LIFETIME AFLOAT LTD→ SC838884 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| LJF CUSTOM COATINGS LIMITED→ SC751474 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| LLOYD'S REGISTER ALIGNED SERVICES LIMITED→ SC318186 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| LLOYDS GROUP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED→ SC644555 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| LPD TECHNICAL LTD→ SC771949 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| LR 1760 (1) LIMITED→ SC252441 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| LURK ENERGY SERVICES LTD→ SC636368 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| M.88 FRAGRANCES LTD→ SC578959 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| M4 ENERGY SERVICES LTD→ SC805339 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1997-01-23
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC25990 — SIC 25990
Registered office
Units 3/4 Camiestone Road
Thainstone Industrial Park
Thainstone, Inverurie
Aberdeenshire
AB51 5GT
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-21
Last: 2026-01-07
Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)
MACHRAY, Rory Mcrae→
Activesecretary · appointed 2025-09-20
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BIANCO, Jeanne Martine Elizabeth→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2012-02-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
REID, Brian→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 1997-01-23 · resigned 1997-01-23
SKINNER, Alison Elizabeth→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-01-30 · resigned 2012-02-07
THOMSON, Brian→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2012-02-07 · resigned 2013-08-07
BIANCO, Paolo→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2012-02-07 · resigned 2025-10-01
MABBOTT, Stephen→
Resignednominee-director · ~76y · appointed 1997-01-23 · resigned 1997-01-23
SKINNER, Mark Stephen→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 1997-01-30 · resigned 2017-02-07
THOMSON, Brian Philip→
Resigneddirector · ~64y · appointed 1997-01-30 · resigned 2013-08-07
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
6
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:6 of 6 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank PLC | Floating charge | 1 property | 22/06/2009 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 19/07/2006 | 09/10/2010 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 19/07/2006 | 13/10/2010 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Standard security | 1 property | 29/06/2005 | 29/05/2008 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 23/02/2000 | 29/05/2010 | |
| satisfied | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 04/06/1997 | 22/03/2001 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (107 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-07
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-01-07
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-10-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-29
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2025-09-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2022-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-21