FETTES & RANKINE ENGINEERING LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC278367 · ltd · incorporated 2005-01-13
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 Jan 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 30110
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.

Opportunity 77/100 (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: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

3 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 21.0y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 21.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · 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
3 charges (3/3 with lender, 3/3 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 1 with DOB)
74
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
66 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

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

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-01-312024-01-31
Average employees800800

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

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-10-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-10-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-10-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-01-21
    📄
    change-corporate-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH04
  6. 2021-10-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2020-08-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-10-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-10-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-02-02
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  11. 2018-02-02
    📄
    withdrawal-of-a-person-with-significant-control-statement
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC09
  12. 2018-02-02
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  13. 2017-10-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-10-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-02-08
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2013-04-24
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Rbs Invoice Finance Limited
  17. 2011-06-10
    ➕
    BRODIES SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  18. 2011-06-10
    ➖
    DAVIES WOOD SUMMERS LLP resigned
    corporate-secretary
  19. 2009-10-01
    ➖
    DAVIES WOOD SUMMERS LLP resigned
    corporate-secretary
  20. 2008-02-08
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  21. 2007-11-20
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  22. 2006-05-01
    ➖
    DAVIES WOOD SUMMERS resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  23. 2006-05-01
    ➕
    DAVIES WOOD SUMMERS LLP appointed
    corporate-secretary
  24. 2006-05-01
    ➕
    DAVIES WOOD SUMMERS LLP appointed
    corporate-secretary
  25. 2005-05-10
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
  26. 2005-01-13
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As FETTES & RANKINE ENGINEERING LIMITED
  27. 2005-01-13
    ➕
    RANKINE, Peter James appointed
    director

Owner dependency

100/100
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.
  • +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "RANKINE" — strong identity link between founder and business.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.

Succession & seller-readiness

75/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 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

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Peter James Rankine
Individual · British · DOB 11/1969 · age 57
50–75%
50–75%50-75% shares · 50-75% voting06/04/2016
Sonia Ann Rankine
Individual · British · DOB 09/1970 · age 56
25–50%
25–50%25-50% shares · 25-50% voting06/04/2016

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

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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
Incorporated2005-01-13
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC30110 — SIC 30110

Registered office

Brodies House
31 - 33 Union Grove
Aberdeen
AB10 6SD
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-10-31
Last made up to: 2025-01-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-27
Last: 2026-01-13

Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)

BRODIES SECRETARIAL SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2011-06-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
RANKINE, Peter James→
director · ~57y · appointed 2005-01-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DAVIES WOOD SUMMERS→
corporate-nominee-secretary · resigned 2006-05-01
Resigned
DAVIES WOOD SUMMERS LLP→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2006-05-01 · resigned 2009-10-01
Resigned
DAVIES WOOD SUMMERS LLP→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2006-05-01 · resigned 2011-06-10
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

3
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:3 of 3 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
NatWest Group
Rbs Invoice Finance Limited
A registered charge1 property24/04/2013—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property20/11/2007—
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
Floating charge1 property10/05/200508/02/2008
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (66 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-10-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-27
change-corporate-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH04
2022-01-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-10-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-01-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-01-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-10-16