HIGHLAND WOODCHIP COMPANY LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC535884 · ltd · incorporated 2016-05-19
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 Jun 2024
Net worth
£1.21M
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 16290
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and acceptable with review structure.

Opportunity 75/100 (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. 5 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

8 live charges · 5 lenders · oldest 6.7y

15/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 6.7 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 5 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: high (82/100)

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
8 charges (8/8 with lender, 8/8 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 4 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
6 connected companies via shared directors
63
Filing history
52 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
65
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
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 £1,208,688

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£42k
Net Worth
£1.2m
Current Assets
£455k
Current Liabilities
—
£0£242k£483k£725k£967k£1.2mJun 2023Jun 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-06-302023-06-30
Total assets£3.53M—
Current assets£455.1k—
Cash£42.1k—
Debtors£367.2k—
Net assets£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
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (41 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-02-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-03-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-03-08
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  4. 2024-03-08
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  5. 2024-02-09
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  6. 2024-02-09
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  7. 2024-01-25
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  8. 2024-01-25
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  9. 2024-01-16
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  10. 2024-01-16
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  11. 2024-01-16
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  12. 2024-01-16
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #4
  13. 2024-01-12
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  14. 2024-01-12
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  15. 2023-12-19
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  16. 2023-12-18
    🔒
    Charge registered #8
    Lender: Hampden & Co. PLC
  17. 2023-12-14
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  18. 2023-12-08
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  19. 2023-12-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: Hampden & Co PLC, 9 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4DR
  20. 2023-05-22
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  21. 2023-03-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  22. 2022-09-14
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  23. 2022-09-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #6
    Lender: Together Commercial Finance Limited
  24. 2022-09-12
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  25. 2022-09-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #5
    Lender: Together Commercial Finance Limited
  26. 2022-06-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  27. 2021-12-17
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  28. 2021-12-15
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: Together Commercial Finance Limited
  29. 2021-05-11
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  30. 2021-03-29
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  31. 2020-02-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited
  32. 2019-10-02
    ➕
    O'BRIEN, James appointed
    director
  33. 2019-10-02
    ➖
    O'BRIEN, James resigned
    director
  34. 2019-10-02
    ➖
    WATSON, James Laurence resigned
    director
  35. 2019-08-28
    ➕
    O'BRIEN, James appointed
    director
  36. 2019-08-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  37. 2019-08-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
  38. 2016-11-14
    ➖
    O'BRIEN, James resigned
    director
  39. 2016-11-14
    ➕
    WATSON, James Laurence appointed
    director
  40. 2016-05-19
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As HIGHLAND WOODCHIP COMPANY LIMITED
  41. 2016-05-19
    ➕
    O'BRIEN, James appointed
    director

Owner dependency

83/100
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.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

55/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.

Red flags

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr James O'Brien
Individual · British · DOB 04/1967 · age 59
25–50%
—25-50% shares30/06/2016
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
  • Mr James Baxterceased 08/09/2017· 25-50% shares
  • Mr John Cassidyceased 08/09/2017· 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 →

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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
Incorporated2016-05-19
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC16290 — SIC 16290

Registered office

5 Station Road
Stepps
Glasgow
G33 6HB
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-18
Last: 2025-12-04

Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)

O'BRIEN, James→
director · ~59y · appointed 2019-10-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
O'BRIEN, James→
director · ~59y · appointed 2019-08-28 · resigned 2019-10-02
Resigned
O'BRIEN, James→
director · ~59y · appointed 2016-05-19 · resigned 2016-11-14
Resigned
WATSON, James Laurence→
director · ~73y · appointed 2016-11-14 · resigned 2019-10-02
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

8
Total charges
3
Outstanding
3
Active lenders
Status:Lender:8 of 8 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Hampden & Co.
Hampden & Co. PLC
A registered charge2 properties18/12/2023—
outstanding
Hampden & Co , 9 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4DR
Hampden & Co PLC, 9 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4DR
A registered charge1 property07/12/2023—
satisfied
Together Money
Together Commercial Finance Limited
A registered charge1 property13/09/202216/01/2024
satisfied
Together Money
Together Commercial Finance Limited
A registered charge—12/09/202212/01/2024
satisfied
Together Money
Together Commercial Finance Limited
A registered charge1 property15/12/202116/01/2024
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited
A registered charge—27/02/2020—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge1 property27/08/201925/01/2024
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge—13/08/201908/03/2024
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (52 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-28
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-03-08
mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
mortgage · 466(Scot)
2024-02-09
mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
mortgage · 466(Scot)
2024-02-09
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-01-25
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-01-16
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-01-16
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-01-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-27
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-12-19
mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
mortgage · 466(Scot)
2023-12-14
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-12-08