AMAX CONTRACTORS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC232501 · ltd · incorporated 2002-06-07
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 Jul 2024
Net worth
£1.25M
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Construction of other civil engineering projects n.e.c.
Sector: Construction
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 62). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -48% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · oldest 12.8y

45/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 12.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (76/100)

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
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
60 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 declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £1,245,607
Cash draining
Cash down 48% YoY
Cash YoY
-48%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£135k
↓ 48% YoY
Net Worth
£1.2m
↑ 2.9% YoY
Current Assets
£219k
↓ 37% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£249k£498k£747k£996k£1.2mJul 2023Jul 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-07-312023-07-31
Total assets£1.31M£1.25M
Current assets£218.9k£348.6k
Cash£135.3k£258.3k
Debtors£83.7k£90.2k
Net assets£1.25M£1.21M

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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-07-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-06-06
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  3. 2025-06-06
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  4. 2024-07-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-07-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-07-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-07-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-04-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-08-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2017-07-18
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  12. 2017-07-18
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  13. 2017-06-27
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  14. 2017-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-06-28
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-04-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2013-08-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  18. 2013-07-11
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  19. 2012-07-31
    ➖
    MAXWELL, Thomas Joseph resigned
    secretary
  20. 2002-06-07
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As AMAX CONTRACTORS LIMITED
  21. 2002-06-07
    ➕
    MAXWELL, Alun Michael appointed
    director
  22. 2002-06-07
    ➕
    MAXWELL, Thomas Joseph appointed
    secretary
  23. 2002-06-07
    ➕
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  24. 2002-06-07
    ➖
    OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  25. 2002-06-07
    ➕
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-director
  26. 2002-06-07
    ➖
    JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-director

Owner dependency

93/100
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
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 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.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Alun Michael Maxwell
Individual · British · DOB 10/1964 · age 62
75–100%
75–100%75-100% shares · 75-100% voting06/04/2016
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr Alun Maxwellceased 06/04/2016· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting
  • Mr Alun Maxwellceased 06/04/2016· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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——180016y8359y
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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
Incorporated2002-06-07
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC42990 — Construction of other civil engineering projects n.e.c.

Registered office

5 Argyll Square
Oban
Argyll
PA34 4AZ

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-20
Last: 2025-06-06

Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)

MAXWELL, Alun Michael→
director · ~62y · appointed 2002-06-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MAXWELL, Thomas Joseph→
secretary · appointed 2002-06-07 · resigned 2012-07-31
Resigned
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2002-06-07 · resigned 2002-06-07
Resigned
JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-director · appointed 2002-06-07 · resigned 2002-06-07
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge1 property23/08/2013—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge—11/07/2013—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (60 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-06
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2025-06-06
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-06-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-07-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-07-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-07-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-07-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-06-18