MACLEAN TRANSPORT SERVICES LTD

💤Zombieactive
SC597599 · ltd · incorporated 2018-05-18
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.
Why now
Window steady · high confidence
Thesis has shifted recently — watch for confirmation.
  • · Lifecycle stage: established → zombie
  • · Investment thesis: unclassified → zombie_hold
  • · Hygiene score: 90 → 65
  • · Deal-killer verdict: clean → workable
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 "zombie"
What changed my view
Last 30 days

Mixed signals in the last 30 days — 2 improved, 4 worsened.

  • ↓Lifecycle stage: established → zombie
  • ·Investment thesis: unclassified → zombie_hold
  • ↑Deal-killer verdict: clean → workable
  • ↓Opportunity score: 71 → 63
  • ↓Hygiene score: 90 → 65
  • +3 more
Last 90 days

Mixed signals in the last 90 days — 2 improved, 4 worsened.

  • ↓Lifecycle stage: established → zombie
  • ·Investment thesis: unclassified → zombie_hold
  • ↑Deal-killer verdict: clean → workable
  • ↓Opportunity score: 71 → 63
  • ↓Hygiene score: 90 → 65
  • +3 more
Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
63/100
Worth a look
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 33170
Sector: Manufacturing
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 49410Freight transport by road
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 63/100 (worth a look), bankability 65/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Confirmation statement overdue. Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 2 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (1 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
20 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
63/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.

Business quality
55
Adequate — check latest filings for context.
Acquirability
50
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
67
Some moderate concerns — review flags.
Signal strength
90
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£0May 2024May 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · IFRS
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Average employees200200

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
2
filings
  • • 1 officers
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 90 days
2
filings
  • • 1 officers
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
3
filings
  • • 1 officers
  • • 1 persons-with-significant-control
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (17 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-07-07
    ➖
    MACLEAN, Tracy Anne resigned
    director
  2. 2026-07-07
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  3. 2026-07-07
    📄
    cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
  4. 2026-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2025-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2024-02-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2023-03-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-08-30
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  9. 2022-07-21
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  10. 2022-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-05-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-02-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2018-09-25
    ➕
    MACLEAN, Tracy Anne appointed
    director
  14. 2018-09-25
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  15. 2018-05-18
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As MACLEAN TRANSPORT SERVICES LTD
  16. 2018-05-18
    ➕
    MACLEAN, Ian Robert appointed
    director
  17. 2018-05-18
    📄
    incorporation-company
    incorporation · NEWINC

Owner dependency

90/100
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 "MACLEAN" — strong identity link between founder and business.

Succession & seller-readiness

45/100
Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.

Red flags

1 high ·
Confirmation statement overdue
high

Annual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.

Evidence: Next due: 2026-05-31

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Ian Robert Maclean
Individual · Scottish · DOB 08/1979 · age 47
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control18/05/2018
1 historic (ceased) PSC
  • Mrs Tracy Anne Macleanceased 07/07/2026· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting

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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GAEL FORCE GROUP LIMITED→
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£23.82M
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——170024y8362y
GAEL FORCE ENGINEERING LIMITED→
SC394817 · est 2011
£1.26M
£977.0k–£1.54M
——470015y8262y
HENDRY HYDRAULICS LIMITED→
SC059511 · est 1976
£331.6k
£257.9k–£405.3k
——9150y8775y
ANTA SCOTLAND LIMITED→
SC156285 · est 1995
———3031y8369y
JAMES JOHNSTON & CO. OF ELGIN LIMITED→
SC022553 · est 1943 · no financials extracted
————82y8370y
MUIRTON CONTROL & AUTOMATION LTD→
SC395862 · est 2011
——£418.0k—15y8358y
MUNRO SAWMILLS LTD.→
SC228923 · est 2002 · no financials extracted
————24y8376y
STRATH PRINT LTD.→
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——£12.4k—26y8374y
ABATRON LIMITED→
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————47y8277y
HIGHLAND BODYSHOP LTD→
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——£148.5k—21y8273y
INVERFAB LTD.→
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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
Incorporated2018-05-18
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC33170 — SIC 33170

Registered office

Greenfields
Nairnside
Inverness
IV2 5BT
United Kingdom

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-31OVERDUE
Last: 2025-05-17

Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)

MACLEAN, Ian Robert→
director · ~47y · appointed 2018-05-18
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MACLEAN, Tracy Anne→
director · ~49y · appointed 2018-09-25 · resigned 2026-07-07
Resigned

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

Recent filings (20 total)

termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-07-07
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-07-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-02-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-03-23
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-08-30
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2022-07-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-02-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-07-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-05-28