SPECIALIST DRILLING TOOLS LIMITED

⚰️Wound downdissolved
SC247921 · ltd · incorporated 2003-04-16
Investment thesis
Company dissolved — not a live target.
Why interesting: Historical record only; useful for precedent research.
Why risky: Not transactable.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
  • · Oldest live charge 22.9y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
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Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
53/100
Worth a look
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 1120
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed unclear — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 53/100 (worth a look), bankability 55/100. Strong seller-intent signal (78/100, director aged 83). Biggest value-creation lever: Resolve: Company dissolved. Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 22.9y

55/100
too messy

Structure is too messy for a clean refinance right now — clean up first or expect bespoke terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 22.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Legal-friction score 45/100 (high).

Data confidence

Overall: low (46/100)

Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
34 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
53/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

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

Business quality
10
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
49
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

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 (37 events)Click to expand
  1. 2011-06-08
    ⚠️
    gazette-dissolved-liquidation
    gazette · GAZ2
  2. 2011-06-08
    🏁
    Company dissolved
  3. 2011-03-08
    ⚠️
    liquidation-court-order-early-dissolution
    insolvency · O/C EARLY DISS
  4. 2010-08-05
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name
    officers · TM02
  5. 2010-07-29
    ➖
    MACLAY MURRAY & SPENS LLP resigned
    corporate-secretary
  6. 2010-07-15
    ⚠️
    liquidation-compulsory-notice-winding-up-scotland
    insolvency · CO4.2(Scot)
  7. 2010-07-15
    ⚠️
    liquidation-compulsory-winding-up-order-scotland
    insolvency · 4.2(Scot)
  8. 2010-07-15
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address
    address · AD01
  9. 2010-05-14
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  10. 2009-07-16
    📄
    legacy
    accounts · 225
  11. 2009-07-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2009-05-06
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  13. 2008-11-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2008-04-28
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  15. 2008-04-28
    📄
    legacy
    officers · 288c
  16. 2008-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2008-02-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  18. 2008-01-30
    📄
    legacy
    officers · 288a
  19. 2008-01-30
    📄
    legacy
    officers · 288b
  20. 2008-01-30
    📍
    legacy
    address · 287
  21. 2007-12-10
    ➖
    IAIN SMITH & COMPANY resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  22. 2007-12-10
    ➕
    MACLAY MURRAY & SPENS LLP appointed
    corporate-secretary
  23. 2007-05-31
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  24. 2006-06-06
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  25. 2006-06-05
    📄
    legacy
    officers · 288c
  26. 2005-09-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  27. 2005-06-08
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  28. 2004-05-07
    📄
    legacy
    annual-return · 363a
  29. 2003-11-06
    📄
    legacy
    officers · 288b
  30. 2003-10-28
    ➖
    APPLETON, Hazel Elizabeth resigned
    director
  31. 2003-06-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  32. 2003-05-07
    ➕
    APPLETON, Robert Patrick appointed
    director
  33. 2003-05-07
    ➕
    APPLETON, Hazel Elizabeth appointed
    director
  34. 2003-05-07
    ➖
    ROXBURGH, Roy resigned
    director
  35. 2003-04-16
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As SPECIALIST DRILLING TOOLS LIMITED
  36. 2003-04-16
    ➕
    IAIN SMITH & COMPANY appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  37. 2003-04-16
    ➕
    ROXBURGH, Roy 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.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 83 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 83 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 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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

2 high ·
Company dissolved
high

Company has been dissolved — it no longer legally exists. Any diligence here is historical only.

Evidence: Dissolved on 2011-06-08

4 insolvency-related filings on record
high

Filings relating to insolvency, liquidation, or administration exist in the company's history. Review before proceeding.

Evidence: 2011-06-08: gazette-dissolved-liquidation; 2011-03-08: liquidation-court-order-early-dissolution

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

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Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
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Company details

Statusdissolved
Typeltd
Incorporated2003-04-16
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC1120 — SIC 1120

Registered office

C/O Sherwood House
7 Glasgow Road
Paisley
PA1 3QS

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: —
Last made up to: 2008-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: —
Last: —

Officers (0 active · 4 resigned)

APPLETON, Robert Patrick→
director · ~83y · appointed 2003-05-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
IAIN SMITH & COMPANY→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-04-16 · resigned 2007-12-10
Resigned
MACLAY MURRAY & SPENS LLP→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2007-12-10 · resigned 2010-07-29
Resigned
APPLETON, Hazel Elizabeth→
director · ~68y · appointed 2003-05-07 · resigned 2003-10-28
Resigned
ROXBURGH, Roy→
director · ~76y · appointed 2003-04-16 · resigned 2003-05-07
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Bond & floating charge1 property09/06/2003—
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (34 total)

gazette-dissolved-liquidation
gazette · GAZ2
2011-06-08
liquidation-court-order-early-dissolution
insolvency · O/C EARLY DISS
2011-03-08
termination-secretary-company-with-name
officers · TM02
2010-08-05
liquidation-compulsory-notice-winding-up-scotland
insolvency · CO4.2(Scot)
2010-07-15
liquidation-compulsory-winding-up-order-scotland
insolvency · 4.2(Scot)
2010-07-15
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address
address · AD01
2010-07-15
annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
annual-return · AR01
2010-05-14
legacy
accounts · 225
2009-07-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2009-07-16
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2009-05-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2008-11-06
legacy
annual-return · 363a
2008-04-28
legacy
officers · 288c
2008-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2008-02-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
accounts · AA
2008-02-28