HARBOUR ENGINEERING (ABERDEEN) LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC076946 · ltd · incorporated 1981-12-09
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£21.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 46720
Sector: Wholesale & retail
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 71-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 71). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 27.5y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 27.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · 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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 6 with DOB)
85
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
108 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 £21,869
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£22k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£22k
~ 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 | £21.9k | £21.9k |
| Current assets | £21.9k | £21.9k |
| Net assets | £21.9k | £21.9k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
4
filings
- • 3 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-03📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2025-12-03📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-12-03📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-11-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-07-01📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2020-06-30➖LAWRIE, Douglas Gibb resigneddirector
- 2019-12-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-24📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-10-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2004-06-22➕LAWRIE, Douglas Gibb appointeddirector
- 2004-02-14➖JAMIESON, Archibald Crighton resigneddirector
- 2003-07-14🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1998-10-23🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company
- 1998-10-06➕HARDING, Ian appointedsecretary
- 1998-10-06➕HARDING, Ian appointeddirector
- 1998-10-06➖COWIE, George Holmes resignedsecretary
- 1998-10-06➖COWIE, George Holmes resigneddirector
- 1998-10-06➖LUMSDEN, William George Henderson resigneddirector
- 1998-10-06➖STEWART, Neil Frew resigneddirector
- 1989-04-01➕JAMIESON, Archibald Crighton appointeddirector
- 1989-04-01➕LUMSDEN, William George Henderson appointeddirector
- 1981-12-09🏢Company incorporatedAs HARBOUR ENGINEERING (ABERDEEN) LIMITED
Owner dependency
100/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 28 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 71 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
100/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 71 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 28 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 44 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.)
Group structure
Brown & Tawse Steelstock Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Brown & Tawse Steelstock Ltd
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
HARBOUR ENGINEERING (ABERDEEN) LIMITED
This company · SC076946
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Brown & Tawse Steelstock Ltd Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 19/11/2025 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mrs Jennifer Ann Hardingceased 19/11/2025· significant influence
- Mr Ian Hardingceased 19/11/2025· significant influence
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 →Similar companies
Active · Wholesale & distribution · DD postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DWK OFFICE SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ SC258582 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| ELECTRIC BIKES SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC451414 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| EPMH LIMITED→ SC214323 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
| FRUNCHII LTD→ SC840402 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| GOOD CALL MOBILE CIC→ SC620937 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| GORGEOUS GIN LIMITED→ SC588556 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| GRAHAM MUIR FOODS LIMITED→ SC537286 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| GROUNDCARE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED→ SC265416 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| GS STEEL SOLUTIONS LTD→ SC754986 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| H.W. COMERY LIMITED→ SC055368 · est 1974 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 52y | — | — |
| HALLA-UK LTD→ SC745047 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| HARRISMUIR GOLF LTD→ SC816257 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1981-12-09
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC46720 — SIC 46720
Registered office
C/O Brown And Tawse Steelstock
Fowler Rd, West Pitkerro Ind Est
Broughty Ferry
Dundee,
DD5 3RU
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-02
Last: 2025-06-18
Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)
Active
HARDING, Ian→
Activedirector · ~71y · appointed 1998-10-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COWIE, George Holmes→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1998-10-06
COWIE, George Holmes→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · resigned 1998-10-06
JAMIESON, Archibald Crighton→
Resigneddirector · ~89y · appointed 1989-04-01 · resigned 2004-02-14
LAWRIE, Douglas Gibb→
Resigneddirector · ~60y · appointed 2004-06-22 · resigned 2020-06-30
LUMSDEN, William George Henderson→
Resigneddirector · ~80y · appointed 1989-04-01 · resigned 1998-10-06
STEWART, Neil Frew→
Resigneddirector · ~75y · resigned 1998-10-06
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Virgin Money Clydesdale Bank Public Limited Company | Floating charge | 1 property | 23/10/1998 | 14/07/2003 |
Recent filings (108 total)
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2025-12-03
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-12-03
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-12-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-11-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-11-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-10-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-11-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-11-12
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2020-07-01