PACKAGING AUTOMATION LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-06-30 (in 1mo)
Last filed for 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement due
2027-01-22 (in 8mo)
Last made up 2026-01-08
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
£797K
+3.3% vs 2023
Net assets
£2M
-5.4% lowest in 5 filed years
Employees
101
-19.8% lowest in 5 filed years
Profit before tax
£174K
+132.6% first positive since 2023
Net assets
9-year trend · vs Industrials median
Accounts
9-year trend · latest reflected 2024-09-30
| Metric | Trend | 2019-10-01 | 2020-09-30 | 2020-10-01 | 2021-09-30 | 2021-10-01 | 2022-09-30 | 2022-10-01 | 2023-09-30 | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | — | £12,115,682 | — | £12,037,207 | — | £13,610,501 | — | £11,158,769 | £11,143,038 | |
| Operating profit | — | £443,219 | — | £463,240 | — | -£197,985 | — | -£462,823 | £247,586 | |
| Profit before tax | — | £401,501 | — | £415,615 | — | -£255,165 | — | -£533,858 | £174,101 | |
| Net profit | — | £366,568 | — | £400,687 | — | -£298,518 | — | -£237,930 | £97,942 | |
| Cash | £974,506 | £1,521,179 | £1,521,179 | £1,250,907 | £1,250,464 | £74,241 | £74,241 | £771,689 | £797,441 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | — | £5,318,172 | — | £5,310,401 | — | £4,704,959 | — | £4,460,976 | £3,007,237 | |
| Net assets | — | £3,242,896 | — | £3,383,583 | — | £2,825,065 | — | £2,327,135 | £2,201,190 | |
| Equity | £3,136,328 | £3,242,896 | £3,242,896 | £3,383,583 | £3,383,583 | £2,825,065 | £2,825,065 | £2,327,135 | £2,201,190 | |
| Average employees | — | 133 | — | 144 | — | 142 | — | 126 | 101 | |
| Wages | — | £4,260,038 | — | £4,546,490 | — | £5,040,437 | — | £4,733,794 | £4,049,832 | |
| Directors' remuneration | — | £453,165 | — | £451,100 | — | £487,095 | — | £457,111 | £451,415 |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. About these numbers
Year-on-year
FY2023 → FY2024 · period ending 2024-09-30 vs 2023-09-30
-
Turnover
-0.1%
£11,158,769 £11,143,038
-
Cash
+3.3%
£771,689 £797,441
-
Net assets
-5.4%
£2,327,135 £2,201,190
lowest in 5 filed years
-
Employees
-19.8%
126 101
lowest in 5 filed years
-
Operating profit
+153.5%
-£462,823 £247,586
first positive since 2023
-
Profit before tax
+132.6%
-£533,858 £174,101
first positive since 2023
-
Wages
-14.4%
£4,733,794 £4,049,832
lowest in 5 filed years
Each % is (latest − prior) ÷ |prior| for the line item as filed. The comparison is only shown when the latest and prior accounts cover broadly equal-length periods — short or long stubs (typical around incorporation or a year-end change) are suppressed rather than misrepresented. Lines a company doesn't report are omitted. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2019-10-01 | 2020-09-30 | 2020-10-01 | 2021-09-30 | 2021-10-01 | 2022-09-30 | 2022-10-01 | 2023-09-30 | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | — | 3.7% | — | 3.8% | — | -1.5% | — | -4.1% | 2.2% | |
| Net margin | — | 3.0% | — | 3.3% | — | -2.2% | — | -2.1% | 0.9% | |
| Return on capital employed | — | 8.3% | — | 8.7% | — | -4.2% | — | -10.4% | 8.2% | |
| Current ratio | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1.39x | 1.03x | |
| Interest cover | — | 10.52x | — | 9.70x | — | -3.45x | — | -6.19x | 2.87x |
Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Hurst Accountants Limited
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which assumes that the company will continue its operations for the foreseeable future.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
7 active · 8 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PENN, Carol Ann | Secretary | 1996-12-14 | — | British |
| ASHTON, Neil | Director | 2012-04-24 | Oct 1973 | British |
| ASHTON, Samantha | Director | 2012-04-24 | Jul 1970 | British |
| COOKE, Francis Joseph | Director | 2014-04-02 | Jul 1952 | British |
| HOLDEN, William George, Doctor | Director | 1997-03-27 | Jan 1951 | British |
| PENN, Carol Ann | Director | 1996-05-28 | Sep 1946 | British |
| SCHUMACKER, David | Director | 2019-01-01 | Oct 1973 | British |
Show 8 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| JONES, John Bannister | Secretary | 1996-09-24 | 1996-12-14 |
| PENN, Arthur | Secretary | — | 1996-10-24 |
| HAGUE, Paul Nicholas | Director | 1997-03-27 | 2004-01-31 |
| JONES, John Bannister | Director | — | 1996-12-14 |
| MURRAY, Andrew John | Director | — | 2014-01-20 |
| PENN, Anthony Arthur | Director | — | 2023-06-19 |
| PENN, Arthur | Director | — | 1998-05-15 |
| PENN, Nicholas John | Director | — | 1995-09-26 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Samantha Ashton | Individual | ownership-of-shares-75-to-100-percent-as-trust, voting-rights-75-to-100-percent-as-trust | 2025-11-19 | Active |
| Mr Neil Ashton | Individual | ownership-of-shares-75-to-100-percent-as-trust, voting-rights-75-to-100-percent-as-trust | 2025-11-19 | Active |
| Mr David Schumacker | Individual | ownership-of-shares-75-to-100-percent-as-trust, voting-rights-75-to-100-percent-as-trust | 2025-11-19 | Active |
| Mrs Carol Ann Penn | Individual | ownership-of-shares-75-to-100-percent-as-trust, voting-rights-75-to-100-percent-as-trust, Appoints directors | 2024-01-04 | Active |
| Mr Anthony Arthur Penn | Individual | Shares 75–100% | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2024-01-04 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 203 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2025-11-21 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
- 2025-11-21 MA Memorandum articles
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-13 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2025-11-21 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2025-11-21 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2025-11-19 | SH10 | capital | Capital variation of rights attached to shares | |
| 2025-11-19 | PSC04 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2025-11-19 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2025-11-19 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2025-11-19 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2025-11-19 | SH08 | capital | Capital name of class of shares | |
| 2025-10-22 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2025-10-22 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2025-10-22 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2025-10-22 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2025-10-22 | MR04 | mortgage | Mortgage satisfy charge full | |
| 2025-09-23 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-09-23 | CH03 | officers | Change person secretary company with change date | |
| 2025-09-23 | PSC04 | persons-with-significant-control | Change to a person with significant control | |
| 2025-06-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-01-20 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2024-06-20 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 18
- Capital events
- 2
- Officers appointed
- 0
- Officers resigned
- 0
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.