CAIRNHILL ENGINEERING LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC388073 · ltd · incorporated 2010-11-02
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.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
What changed my view
Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2025
Net worth
£214.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other engineering activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Asset-holding vehicle with a 63-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 63). 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 (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
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
42 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 declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £214,325
Cash YoY
+1%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£214k
↑ 1.2% YoY
Net Worth
£214k
↑ 1.2% YoY
Current Assets
£214k
↑ 1.2% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£43k£86k£129k£171k£214kDec 2024Dec 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-12-312024-12-31
Total assets£214.3k£211.8k
Current assets£214.3k£211.8k
Cash£214.3k£211.8k
Debtors£0£0
Net assets£214.3k£211.8k

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
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (25 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-01-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-02-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-06-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-10-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-08-10
    ➖
    ACCOUNTS ADVICE & PLANNING LTD resigned
    corporate-secretary
  7. 2021-08-10
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  8. 2021-08-10
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  9. 2021-02-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2020-03-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2019-02-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-02-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-02-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-04-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2015-11-09
    ➕
    ACCOUNTS ADVICE & PLANNING LTD appointed
    corporate-secretary
  16. 2015-11-09
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2015-11-09
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  18. 2012-08-21
    ➖
    FORBES, Elizabeth resigned
    secretary
  19. 2012-08-20
    ➖
    FORBES, Graham resigned
    director
  20. 2011-03-11
    ➕
    GREGORY, Callum appointed
    director
  21. 2011-03-11
    ➖
    FORBES, Elizabeth resigned
    director
  22. 2010-11-02
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As CAIRNHILL ENGINEERING LIMITED
  23. 2010-11-02
    ➕
    FORBES, Elizabeth appointed
    secretary
  24. 2010-11-02
    ➕
    FORBES, Elizabeth appointed
    director
  25. 2010-11-02
    ➕
    FORBES, Graham appointed
    director

Owner dependency

93/100
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 15 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

88/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 16 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

clean
No 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 · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Callum Gregory
Individual · Scottish · DOB 09/1963 · age 63
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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 →
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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.

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Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2010-11-02
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC71129 — Other engineering activities

Registered office

17 Rosshall Place
Renfrew
PA4 0BA
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-11-16
Last: 2025-11-02

Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)

GREGORY, Callum→
director · ~63y · appointed 2011-03-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
FORBES, Elizabeth→
secretary · appointed 2010-11-02 · resigned 2012-08-21
Resigned
ACCOUNTS ADVICE & PLANNING LTD→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2015-11-09 · resigned 2021-08-10
Resigned
FORBES, Elizabeth→
director · ~65y · appointed 2010-11-02 · resigned 2011-03-11
Resigned
FORBES, Graham→
director · ~67y · appointed 2010-11-02 · resigned 2012-08-20
Resigned

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

Recent filings (42 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-11-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-01-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-02-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-06-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-11-03
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2021-08-10
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2021-08-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-02-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-11-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-03-09