Testing, inspection and certification firms to acquire in Liverpool

Updated 14 November 2026

Looking to acquire a testing, inspection or certification firm in Liverpool? Firmbase ranks 15 testing, inspection and certification firms using public company information to help buyers prioritise firms for research and potential outreach. The Approach Score ranks firms using public signals including director age and tenure, ownership, business scale, financial strength and recent changes. These firms are not listed for sale, and the ranking does not indicate that an owner is considering a sale.

The median firm has 22 staff and has been in business for 16 years. Looking beyond Liverpool? Explore the full North West list of testing, inspection and certification firms.

15

Firms

UK 751

31%

Every director 55+

UK 28%

20%

Held 75%+ by one person

UK 23%

16

Median years in business

UK 16

22

Median headcount

UK 10

£1m to £2.5m

Median turnover band

UK £500k to £1m · includes our estimates

All 15 firms, in Approach Score order

1

Cobalt NDT

ST Helens, Merseyside

Approach Score

78/100
  • Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2002
  • 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent
More about this firm
  • 7 staff · turnover est. £267k
  • Net assets £160k (Nov 2025)

Company no. 04534894 · Companies House

cobaltndt.co.uk

2

Environoise

Wirral

Approach Score

78/100
  • 2 directors aged 70 or over, 2 aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2009
  • 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent
More about this firm
  • 8 staff · turnover est. £299k
  • Net assets £66k (Sep 2024)
  • PSC register changed Oct 2025

Company no. 07009576 · Companies House

environoise.co.uk

3

ACE

Southport, Merseyside

Approach Score

78/100
  • 1 director aged 65-69, 2 aged 60-64, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 1997
  • 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent
More about this firm
  • 37 staff · turnover est. £2.1m
  • Net assets £1.2m (Jun 2025)

Company no. 03331462 · Companies House

ace-uk.website

4

Compliance Education

Liverpool

Approach Score

74/100
  • Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2015
  • 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent
More about this firm
  • 18 staff · turnover est. £930k
  • Net assets £653k (Jan 2026)
5

Ultrascan NON - Destructive Testing

Birkenhead, Merseyside

Approach Score

67/100
  • 2 directors aged 70 or over
  • 2 individuals hold 75%+ · independent
More about this firm
  • 7 staff · turnover est. £1.2m
  • No net assets figure held · accounts made up to Jan 2026

Company no. 02662148 · Companies House

ultrascan-ndt.co.uk

6

Kege

Maghull,, Liverpool, Merseyside

Approach Score

60/100

We hold older figures than Companies House

  • 1 director aged 70 or over, 1 aged 55-59, 1 aged 50-54, 1 aged 45-49 · longest in post since 2003
  • Corporate owner
More about this firm
  • 24 staff · turnover est. £1.6m
  • Net assets £962k · newer accounts made up to Dec 2025

Company no. 04792510 · Companies House

7

Alex Stewart International

Liverpool, Merseyside

A director sits on 4 or more companies

Approach Score

58/100

We hold older figures than Companies House

  • In post since 1993
  • 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent
More about this firm
  • 130 staff · turnover £26.3m
  • Net assets £34.1m · newer accounts made up to Dec 2024
8

Heesom Construction Services

Runcorn, Cheshire

Approach Score

56/100
  • Longest in post since 2015
  • Independent
More about this firm
  • 6 staff · turnover est. £274k
  • Net assets £45k (Mar 2025)

Company no. 09679391 · Companies House

9

Altona Diagnostics

Liverpool, Merseyside

Approach Score

55/100
  • 1 director aged 55-59, 2 aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2024
  • Independent
More about this firm
  • 6 staff · turnover est. £4.2m
  • Net assets £7.9m (Dec 2025)

Company no. 10641789 · Companies House

10

Earthworks Testing

Liverpool

A director sits on 4 or more companies

Approach Score

53/100
  • 1 director aged 70 or over, 1 aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2024
  • Independent
More about this firm
  • 42 staff · turnover est. £1.8m
  • Net assets -£48k (Dec 2025)
  • Director resigned Jan 2025 · charge satisfied Sep 2025 · PSC register changed Jan 2025

Company no. 14251352 · Companies House

etlgroup.co.uk

11

PSW Integrity

Birkenhead, Wirral

Approach Score

51/100
  • Director aged 50-54 · in post since 2022
  • Corporate owner
More about this firm
  • 22 staff · turnover est. £527k
  • Net assets £1.1m (Mar 2025)
  • PSC register changed Jun 2025

Company no. 08447417 · Companies House

pswintegrity.co.uk

12

BMC Analysis

ST. Helens

A director sits on 4 or more companies

Approach Score

50/100
  • 1 director aged 60-64, 2 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2020
  • Corporate owner
More about this firm
  • 31 staff · turnover est. £92k
  • Net assets £879k (Jul 2025)

Company no. 12744966 · Companies House

bmcanalysis.com

13

TD Construction Testing

ST Helens, Merseyside

Approach Score

47/100
  • Director aged under 45 · in post since 2013
  • Corporate owner
More about this firm
  • 26 staff · turnover est. £1.3m
  • Net assets £497k (Feb 2025)
  • Director resigned Apr 2025
14

Romer Labs

Runcorn, Cheshire

Approach Score

36/100

We hold older figures than Companies House

  • 2 directors aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2015
  • Corporate owner
More about this firm
  • 15 staff · turnover est. £3m
  • Net assets £4.6m · newer accounts made up to Dec 2025

Company no. 07108969 · Companies House

romerlabs.com

15

Aughton Automation

Liverpool, Merseyside

Approach Score

36/100
  • 1 director aged 70 or over, 1 aged 65-69, 1 aged 45-49, 1 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2000
  • Corporate owner
More about this firm
  • 66 staff · turnover est. £3.1m
  • No net assets figure held · accounts made up to Sep 2025

Company no. 03872570 · Companies House

aughton.co.uk

Buy the list of all 15 firms, with director names, ages and shareholders

Each row comes with the facts behind its score, financials with dates and contact details.

What's in the file

One row per firm, in Approach Score order, as Excel + CSV.

It holds the facts behind each score, points for each part of the score, financials with dates, publicly available contact details, where identified, director names and named shareholders.

Some people with significant control appear as Other individual, with no further detail. Director email lookups are not included.

How this list is filtered

  • 5 or more staff, from filed headcount or our estimate where none is filed.
  • Registered office in Liverpool.
See every filter on the UK list

How this list is built

The Approach Score ranks firms mainly on public Companies House information about owner tenure and age, ownership, size, financial strength and recent register changes.

Firms with higher scores appear first in each list.

Use the ranking to order research, then check each business directly.

Read how the Approach Score works

What it does not mean

No firm here is for sale, and the score says nothing about any owner's plans.

At least 95% of the firms where we hold directors had them checked in or after November 2026.

What we do not cover

Regulatory information is not included in this list. Buyers should check the relevant register as part of their due diligence. Check UKAS accreditation through its accredited bodies directory and read the accreditation schedule. Accreditation covers a defined scope of work, rather than every service a firm offers.

Why age bands but no people's names

Age bands come from the month and year of birth on Companies House. This page shows no exact ages and no people's names. Both come with the purchased list. The band edges from 45 to 65 are the ages where the score changes. A row shows no age bands when a director's surname is in the firm's name, its group's name or its website. Those directors' ages still count towards the score.

Is this your firm?

You can ask us to take it off every acquisition page, and out of every list we sell after that. Give us your name and work email, and we send you a link to confirm. If your email address is on the firm's own website domain, the firm comes off once you confirm. If it is not, a person reviews your request first. A list already sold stays with its buyer.

You can find the company number on Companies House.

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Other areas

Related sectors

The standard Firmbase list

Buy the list of all 15 firms, with director names, ages and shareholders

Each row comes with the facts behind its score, financials with dates and contact details.