AECS GRAY ENGINEERING LTD.
💤Zombieactive
SC322000 · ltd · incorporated 2007-04-24
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 Oct 2024
Net worth
£7.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Engineering design activities for industrial process and production
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
48 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
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
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 £7,584
Cash YoY
+4%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£19k
↑ 3.9% YoY
Net Worth
£8k
↑ 356% YoY
Current Assets
£34k
↑ 15% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £7.7k | £1.9k |
| Current assets | £33.8k | £29.4k |
| Cash | £19.2k | £18.5k |
| Debtors | £14.6k | £10.9k |
| Net assets | £7.6k | £1.7k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 signals 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 (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-18📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-02-18📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2019-01-24➖GRAY, Emma Louise resignedsecretary
- 2019-01-24➖GRAY, Emma Louise resigneddirector
- 2018-05-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-03-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-05-08📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2016-01-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-12📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2015-04-26📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-01-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2007-04-24🏢Company incorporatedAs AECS GRAY ENGINEERING LTD.
- 2007-04-24➕GRAY, Andrew appointeddirector
- 2007-04-24➕GRAY, Emma Louise appointedsecretary
- 2007-04-24➕PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-04-24➖PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2007-04-24➕GRAY, Emma Louise appointeddirector
- 2007-04-24➕PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2007-04-24➖PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2007-04-24➕PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD. appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2007-04-24➖PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD. resignedcorporate-nominee-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 "GRAY" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 19 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
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Andrew Gray Individual · British · DOB 11/1971 · age 55 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence · trust interest · firm interest | 24/04/2017 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUESKY ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING LIMITED→ SC697777 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BME VENTURES LIMITED→ SC524449 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| BMORR CONSULTING LTD→ SC703370 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| BRACKENHILL 2022 LTD→ SC729829 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| BRADLEY CRAIG ARCHITECTS LIMITED→ SC685654 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| BRIDGEND ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS LTD→ SC355372 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| BROCKWOOD CONSULTANCY LTD→ SC322347 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| BROWN & MCRAE (TRUSTEES) LIMITED→ SC260652 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| BUILD THE REEF LTD→ SC622272 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BURNETT LEGAL SERVICES LIMITED→ SC607260 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| BURNSIDE LEGAL SERVICES (ABERDEEN) LIMITED→ SC455599 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| BUSOGA HSEQ LIMITED→ SC533394 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 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
Incorporated2007-04-24
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC71121 — Engineering design activities for industrial process and production
Registered office
46 Binghill Crescent
Milltimber
Aberdeen
AB13 0HP
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-07-31
Last made up to: 2024-10-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-08
Last: 2025-04-24
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
GRAY, Andrew→
Activedirector · ~55y · appointed 2007-04-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GRAY, Emma Louise→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2007-04-24 · resigned 2019-01-24
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2007-04-24 · resigned 2007-04-24
GRAY, Emma Louise→
Resigneddirector · ~56y · appointed 2007-04-24 · resigned 2019-01-24
PETER TRAINER COMPANY SECRETARIES LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2007-04-24 · resigned 2007-04-24
PETER TRAINER CORPORATE SERVICES LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2007-04-24 · resigned 2007-04-24
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (48 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-07-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-07-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-03-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-05-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-07-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-05-07
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2019-02-18