AUTOMATION XL LIMITED
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 66). 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).
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 13.2y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 13.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (83/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £763.2k | £746.6k |
| Current assets | £1.73M | £1.60M |
| Cash | £97.8k | £11.6k |
| Debtors | £1.63M | £1.59M |
| Net assets | £763.2k | £746.6k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
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
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-21📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-02-16📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2023-02-16🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2023-02-08🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2022-08-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-31📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2021-07-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-04-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-05-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-11📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2017-09-11📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2017-09-11📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2017-05-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2013-02-12🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2012-09-11➕LAIRD, Colin appointeddirector
- 2012-09-11➖COWIE, Simon Henry Dyer resigneddirector
- 2012-09-10🏢Company incorporatedAs AUTOMATION XL LIMITED
- 2012-09-10➕COWIE, Simon Henry Dyer appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. 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 14 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanGroup structure
Xl Global Group Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Xl Global Group Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 11/12/2016 |
Mr Colin Laird Individual · British · DOB 11/1960 · age 66 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Xl Group Limitedceased 10/12/2016· 75-100% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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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 →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
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 1 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 08/02/2023 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Floating charge | 1 property | 12/02/2013 | 16/02/2023 |