HCS CONTROL SYSTEMS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC353211 · ltd · incorporated 2009-01-09
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
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Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of head offices
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 62-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 62). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

4 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 12.9y

35/100
too messy

Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 12.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (60/100)

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
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
15 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
80 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
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
1
filing
  • • 1 mortgage
Last 90 days
2
filings
  • • 1 mortgage
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
6
filings
  • • 4 mortgage
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (34 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-31
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  2. 2026-03-31
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  3. 2026-01-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  4. 2025-11-18
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  5. 2025-11-13
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  6. 2025-11-12
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  7. 2024-06-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  8. 2023-10-04
    📍
    change-sail-address-company-with-old-address-new-address
    address · AD02
  9. 2023-05-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  10. 2022-10-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-12-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2020-12-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  13. 2020-11-28
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  14. 2020-11-28
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  15. 2020-11-25
    📄
    mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
    mortgage · 466(Scot)
  16. 2019-10-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2018-05-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2017-05-31
    ➖
    LESTRANGE, Brett Anthony resigned
    director
  19. 2014-09-11
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  20. 2014-08-13
    🔒
    Charge registered #4
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  21. 2013-06-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #3
    Lender: Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited
  22. 2013-06-14
    ➕
    BURNESS PAULL LLP appointed
    corporate-secretary
  23. 2013-06-14
    ➕
    MCGUINNESS, Neil Stephen appointed
    director
  24. 2013-06-14
    ➖
    MACROBERTS CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  25. 2013-06-14
    ➕
    LESTRANGE, Brett Anthony appointed
    director
  26. 2013-06-14
    ➖
    REID, Ian James resigned
    director
  27. 2013-06-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Maven Capital Partners UK LLP
  28. 2013-06-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Simmons Parallel Private L.P.
  29. 2013-01-15
    ➖
    CCW SECRETARIES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  30. 2013-01-15
    ➕
    MACROBERTS CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  31. 2009-01-09
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As HCS CONTROL SYSTEMS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED
  32. 2009-01-09
    ➕
    BALFOUR, Kenneth appointed
    director
  33. 2009-01-09
    ➕
    CCW SECRETARIES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  34. 2009-01-09
    ➕
    REID, Ian James appointed
    director

Owner dependency

76/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

69/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 17 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

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Group structure

Hcs Control Systems Group Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Hcs Control Systems Group Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
HCS CONTROL SYSTEMS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED
This company · SC353211

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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Hcs Control Systems Group Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

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

6 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
Incorporated2009-01-09
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC70100 — Activities of head offices

Registered office

Unit V2 Viewfield Road
Viewfield Industrial Estate
Glenrothes
KY6 2QX

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last: 2026-01-17

Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)

BURNESS PAULL LLP→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2013-06-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BALFOUR, Kenneth→
director · ~62y · appointed 2009-01-09
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MCGUINNESS, Neil Stephen→
director · ~58y · appointed 2013-06-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
CCW SECRETARIES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2009-01-09 · resigned 2013-01-15
Resigned
MACROBERTS CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2013-01-15 · resigned 2013-06-14
Resigned
LESTRANGE, Brett Anthony→
director · ~57y · appointed 2013-06-14 · resigned 2017-05-31
Resigned
REID, Ian James→
director · ~73y · appointed 2009-01-09 · resigned 2013-06-14
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

4
Total charges
2
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
A registered charge—13/08/2014—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Tsb Commercial Finance Limited
A registered charge1 property17/06/201311/09/2014
outstanding
Maven Capital Partners UK
Maven Capital Partners UK LLP
A registered charge1 property14/06/2013—
satisfied
Simmons Parallel Private L.P.
A registered charge1 property14/06/201331/03/2026
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (80 total)

mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-03-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2026-01-07
mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
mortgage · 466(Scot)
2025-11-18
mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
mortgage · 466(Scot)
2025-11-13
mortgage-alter-floating-charge-with-number
mortgage · 466(Scot)
2025-11-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2024-06-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-18
change-sail-address-company-with-old-address-new-address
address · AD02
2023-10-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2023-05-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2022-10-10
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-small
accounts · AA
2021-12-24