MARINE DIESEL SERVICES (SCOTLAND) LTD
🌳Matureactive
SC172858 · ltd · incorporated 1997-02-21
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and tidy — no seller pressure yet. Approach only if an angle opens.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 24.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
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
£373.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 33150
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (93/100, director aged 68). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 24.1y
85/100
ready
Refinance conversation should be productive — structure clean and timing right.
- · Oldest live charge is 24.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 15/100 — clean.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (77/100)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 (3 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
75 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.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £373,368
Cash YoY
+449%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£96k
↑ 449% YoY
Net Worth
£373k
↑ 32% YoY
Current Assets
£482k
↑ 35% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £389.2k | £312.2k |
| Current assets | £482.0k | £356.4k |
| Cash | £95.6k | £17.4k |
| Debtors | £223.9k | £192.2k |
| Net assets | £373.4k | £283.9k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
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
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-29📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-05-29📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-05-29🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2025-05-29🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2024-10-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-02-22📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-12-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-02-27📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2002-08-12🔒Charge registered #2Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 2002-05-07🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
- 1997-03-04➕DAVIDSON, Jean Methven appointedsecretary
- 1997-03-04➕DAVIDSON, Alasdair Michael appointeddirector
- 1997-03-04➕DAVIDSON, Jean Methven appointeddirector
- 1997-02-21🏢Company incorporatedAs MARINE DIESEL SERVICES (SCOTLAND) LTD
- 1997-02-21➕REID, Brian appointednominee-secretary
- 1997-02-21➖REID, Brian resignednominee-secretary
- 1997-02-21➕MABBOTT, Stephen appointednominee-director
- 1997-02-21➖MABBOTT, Stephen resignednominee-director
Owner dependency
91/100
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
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Alasdair Michael Davidson Individual · British · DOB 02/1958 · age 68 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Jean Methven Davidson Individual · British · DOB 11/1961 · age 65 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · IV postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GAEL FORCE GROUP LIMITED→ SC229244 · est 2002 | £23.82M £18.53M–£29.11M | — | — | 1700 | 24y | 83 | 62y |
| GAEL FORCE ENGINEERING LIMITED→ SC394817 · est 2011 | £1.26M £977.0k–£1.54M | — | — | 4700 | 15y | 82 | 62y |
| HENDRY HYDRAULICS LIMITED→ SC059511 · est 1976 | £331.6k £257.9k–£405.3k | — | — | 91 | 50y | 87 | 75y |
| ANTA SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC156285 · est 1995 | — | — | — | 30 | 31y | 83 | 69y |
| JAMES JOHNSTON & CO. OF ELGIN LIMITED→ SC022553 · est 1943 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 82y | 83 | 70y |
| MUIRTON CONTROL & AUTOMATION LTD→ SC395862 · est 2011 | — | — | £418.0k | — | 15y | 83 | 58y |
| MUNRO SAWMILLS LTD.→ SC228923 · est 2002 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | 83 | 76y |
| STRATH PRINT LTD.→ SC205018 · est 2000 | — | — | £12.4k | — | 26y | 83 | 74y |
| HIGHLAND BODYSHOP LTD→ SC273214 · est 2004 | — | — | £148.5k | — | 21y | 82 | 73y |
| INVERFAB LTD.→ SC223907 · est 2001 | — | — | £558.6k | — | 24y | 82 | 80y |
| MACKAY STEELWORK & CLADDING LIMITED→ SC161195 · est 1995 | — | — | £3.98M | — | 30y | 82 | 58y |
| MORAY PRECAST LIMITED→ SC176648 · est 1997 | — | — | £126.9k | — | 28y | 82 | 69y |
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
Incorporated1997-02-21
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC33150 — SIC 33150
Registered office
Unit 5b Muir Of Ord Industrial Estate
Muir Of Ord
Ross-Shire
IV6 7UA
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 (3 active · 2 resigned)
DAVIDSON, Jean Methven→
Activesecretary · appointed 1997-03-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DAVIDSON, Alasdair Michael→
Activedirector · ~68y · appointed 1997-03-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DAVIDSON, Jean Methven→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 1997-03-04
View their other companies + combined net worth →
REID, Brian→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 1997-02-21 · resigned 1997-02-21
MABBOTT, Stephen→
Resignednominee-director · ~76y · appointed 1997-02-21 · resigned 1997-02-21
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Standard security | 1 property | 12/08/2002 | 29/05/2025 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 07/05/2002 | 29/05/2025 |
Recent filings (75 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-12-10
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-05-29
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-05-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-10-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-08-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-11-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-02-26