ADAM SUBSEA LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC268832 · ltd · incorporated 2004-06-04
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
£45.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other engineering activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 67-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 67). 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).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (75/100)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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
59 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
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
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £45,652
Cash YoY
-28%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£55k
↓ 28% YoY
Net Worth
£46k
↑ 19% YoY
Current Assets
£74k
↓ 22% 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 | £48.7k | £42.4k |
| Current assets | £73.8k | £95.1k |
| Cash | £55.1k | £76.3k |
| Debtors | £64 | £184 |
| Net assets | £45.7k | £38.4k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-06-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-14📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-11-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-06-17📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2004-06-09➕LEASK, Helen Catherine appointedsecretary
- 2004-06-09➕ADAM, Stewart James appointeddirector
- 2004-06-09➖PF & S (SECRETARIES) LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2004-06-09➖PF & S (DIRECTORS) LIMITED resignedcorporate-director
- 2004-06-04🏢Company incorporatedAs ADAM SUBSEA LIMITED
- 2004-06-04➕PF & S (SECRETARIES) LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2004-06-04➕PF & S (DIRECTORS) LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "ADAM" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 67 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 67. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Stewart Adam Individual · British · DOB 05/1959 · age 67 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 05/06/2017 |
Ms Helen Leask Individual · British · DOB 11/1956 · age 70 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 05/06/2017 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Professional services · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A GREENCIRCLE ENGINEERING AND CONSULTING LTD→ SC847868 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| A J R FACILITIES CONSULTANCY LTD→ SC544953 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| A JOB IN KNOCK LIMITED→ SC304240 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| A.J. ADAMS CONSULTANCY LTD→ SC686645 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A.J.P.R. ENGINEERING LIMITED→ SC224755 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| ADRESTRIA PROJECTS LTD→ SC666827 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AE ECONOMICS LIMITED→ SC613612 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AEA PRODUCTIONS LTD→ SC776264 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AECS GRAY ENGINEERING LTD.→ SC322000 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| AGENDUMS STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS LTD→ SC777197 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AGENTS OF DIGITAL CHANGE LTD→ SC808950 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AGGREGATE TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS LIMITED→ SC860628 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2004-06-04
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC71129 — Other engineering activities
Registered office
Netherwyndings Cottage
Auchenblae Road
Stonehaven
Aberdeenshire
AB39 3UU
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-06-19
Last: 2025-06-05
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
LEASK, Helen Catherine→
Activesecretary · appointed 2004-06-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
ADAM, Stewart James→
Activedirector · ~67y · appointed 2004-06-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
PF & S (SECRETARIES) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2004-06-04 · resigned 2004-06-09
PF & S (DIRECTORS) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2004-06-04 · resigned 2004-06-09
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (59 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-08-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-06-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2021-06-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-27