Testing, inspection and certification firms to acquire in the North East

Name: Testing, inspection and certification firms to acquire in the North East
Creator: Firmbase
License: https://firmbase.co/terms

Updated 9 November 2026

Looking to acquire a testing, inspection or certification firm in the North East? Firmbase ranks 28 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 13 staff and has been in business for 10 years. Looking beyond the North East? Explore the full UK list of testing, inspection and certification firms.

Firms

UK 751

20%

Every director 55+

UK 28%

21%

Held 75%+ by one person

UK 23%

Median years in business

UK 16

Median headcount

UK 10

£500k to £1m

Median turnover band

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

Towns with the most firms

Newcastle upon Tyne 10 firms

The first 25 firms, in Approach Score order

Rank	Firm	Approach Score	The facts behind the score
1	Covol Engineering Billingham	Approach Score 85/100	Director aged 60-64 · in post since 2018 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 11 staff · turnover est. £928k Net assets £222k (Dec 2025) Charge satisfied Nov 2025 Company no. 11184319 · Companies House covol.co.uk
2	ProFire Safety & Training Sunderland	Approach Score 78/100	1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 45-49 · longest in post since 2019 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 9 staff · turnover est. £367k Net assets £43k (Dec 2025) Company no. 12300811 · Companies House pro-firesafety.co.uk
3	Air Services UK Cramlington, Northumberland	Approach Score 78/100	2 directors aged 70 or over, 1 aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2001 2 individuals hold 50%+ · held via a trust or firm · independent More about this firm 13 staff · turnover est. £849k Net assets £323k (Mar 2025) Company no. 04183272 · Companies House airservicesuk.co.uk/about
4	Bollardscan Sunderland, Tyne & Wear	Approach Score 74/100	1 director aged 70 or over, 1 aged 60-64 · longest in post since 2016 Corporate owner More about this firm 5 staff · turnover £725k Net assets £578k (Dec 2024) Company no. 10092019 · Companies House bollardscan.com
5	SDS Property Solutions Thornaby	Approach Score 73/100	Director aged 55-59 · in post since 2014 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £217k Net assets £121k (Jan 2026) Company no. 08836554 · Companies House
6	Expert Fire Solutions Durham, County Durham	Approach Score 73/100	1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2013 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 20 staff · turnover est. £958k Net assets £311k (Mar 2026) Company no. 08774316 · Companies House expertfiresolutions.co.uk
7	Geoptic Stockton-on-Tees A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 63/100	2 directors aged 65-69, 1 aged 45-49 · longest in post since 2020 Independent More about this firm 10 staff · turnover est. £517k Net assets £260k (Mar 2026) Company no. 12498517 · Companies House geoptic.co.uk
8	C&D Access Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside	Approach Score 62/100	Director aged under 45 · in post since 2014 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 8 staff · turnover est. £4.2m Net assets £4.3m (May 2025) Company no. 09044292 · Companies House cdais.co.uk
9	DRA Electricals Wallsend	Approach Score 59/100	2 directors aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2012 2 individuals hold 75%+ · independent More about this firm 7 staff · turnover est. £220k Net assets £16k (Jul 2025) PSC register changed Nov 2024 Company no. 08161010 · Companies House draelectricals.co.uk
10	Brewlab Sunderland, Tyne and Wear	Approach Score 59/100	We hold older figures than Companies House 1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 55-59 · longest in post since 2022 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 12 staff · turnover est. £634k Net assets £256k (Jul 2021) · newer accounts made up to Jul 2025 Company no. 03297769 · Companies House brewlab.co.uk
11	MTL Projects Bishop Auckland, CO. Durham A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 58/100	1 director aged 60-64, 2 aged 50-54, 2 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2019 Corporate owner More about this firm 7 staff · turnover est. £1.3m Net assets £916k (Dec 2024) Director resigned Sep 2026 Company no. 11860971 · Companies House mtlprojects.com
12	Apex Acoustics Gateshead, Tyne & Wear	Approach Score 58/100	1 director aged 55-59, 1 aged 50-54, 2 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2005 Corporate owner More about this firm 30 staff · turnover est. £1.4m Net assets £716k (Feb 2026) Company no. 05656507 · Companies House apexacoustics.co.uk
13	Binding Solutions Middlesbrough	Approach Score 58/100	We hold older figures than Companies House 1 director aged 60-64, 2 aged 55-59, 2 aged 45-49, 2 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2016 Independent More about this firm 16 staff · turnover est. £1.8m Net assets -£1.3m (Dec 2021) · newer accounts made up to Dec 2025 Director resigned Mar 2026 · charge satisfied Mar 2025 · PSC register changed Dec 2025 Company no. 10394084 · Companies House bindingsolutions.com
14	Bainbridge Brothers Stockton on Tees	Approach Score 57/100	Longest in post since 2003 2 individuals hold 50%+ · independent More about this firm 16 staff · turnover est. £1.6m Net assets £2.9m (Mar 2025) Company no. 04687594 · Companies House bainbridgebrosltd.co.uk
15	Exploration & Testing Associates Durham, County Durham A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 56/100	1 director aged 45-49, 2 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2020 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 32 staff · turnover est. £2.1m Net assets £680k (Dec 2025) Director resigned May 2025 · PSC register changed May 2025 Company no. 11803869 · Companies House explorationtesting.uk
16	Southern Asset Management Stockton-on-Tees	Approach Score 53/100	Longest in post since 2022 1 individual holds 75%+ · independent More about this firm 14 staff · turnover est. £326k Net assets £1k (Jul 2025) Company no. 14214291 · Companies House southernassetmanagement.co.uk
17	Build Warranty Gateshead, Tyne & Wear A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 52/100	1 director aged 60-64, 1 aged 50-54, 2 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2018 Corporate owner More about this firm 13 staff · turnover est. £667k Net assets £26k (Dec 2025) Company no. 11613886 · Companies House buildwarranty.co.uk
18	Axiom Stockton-on-Tees A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 50/100	We hold older figures than Companies House 1 director aged 55-59, 1 aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2003 Corporate owner More about this firm 90 staff · turnover est. £4.9m Net assets £2.6m · newer accounts made up to Apr 2026 Director resigned Apr 2026 Company no. 04629168 · Companies House axiom-ltd.com
19	B. K. S. Mechanical Services Bedlington	Approach Score 48/100	2 directors aged under 45 · longest in post since 2017 2 individuals hold 75%+ · independent More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £64k Net assets £32k (May 2025) Company no. 10824152 · Companies House
20	Pass Stockton on Tees A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 47/100	We hold older figures than Companies House 1 director aged 50-54, 1 aged 45-49 · longest in post since 2002 2 individuals hold 75%+ · independent More about this firm 130 staff · turnover est. £16.2m Net assets £9m · newer accounts made up to Mar 2025 Company no. 04457106 · Companies House tester.co.uk
21	ARC Environmental Meadowfield, Co Durham	Approach Score 45/100	We hold older figures than Companies House 1 director aged 55-59, 1 aged 50-54 · longest in post since 2018 Corporate owner More about this firm 16 staff · turnover est. £2m Net assets £708k (Sep 2023) · newer accounts made up to Sep 2025 Company no. 05539784 · Companies House arc-environmental.com
22	Green Zone Surveys Wallsend, Tyne and Wear A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 45/100	1 director aged 50-54, 1 aged 45-49, 2 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2022 Corporate owner More about this firm 21 staff · turnover est. £1.5m Net assets £859k (Sep 2024) Director resigned Jul 2026 · charge satisfied Oct 2025 Company no. 07799726 · Companies House greenzonesurveys.com
23	O'brien Aggregate Marsden Whitburn, Sunderland A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 44/100	Longest in post since 2017 Corporate owner More about this firm 19 staff · turnover est. £7.3m Net assets £4.9m (Dec 2025) Company no. 11104277 · Companies House
24	Dunelm Geotechnical & Environmental Meadowfield, Durham	Approach Score 44/100	1 director aged 55-59, 2 aged 50-54, 1 aged under 45 · longest in post since 2019 Independent More about this firm 73 staff · turnover £11.2m Net assets £2.4m (Dec 2025) Company no. 12168921 · Companies House dunelm.co.uk
25	Applebridge Geoenvironmental Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire A director sits on 4 or more companies	Approach Score 40/100	1 director aged 50-54, 1 aged 45-49 · longest in post since 2023 Corporate owner More about this firm 5 staff · turnover est. £485k Net assets -£20k (Apr 2024) Director resigned Dec 2024 · PSC register changed Dec 2024 Company no. 14788917 · Companies House retaininguk.com

3 more firms are in the list, in Approach Score order.

You're seeing the first 25. Buy all 28 for £799 + VAT, with the facts behind each score, director names, shareholders and financials.

Buy the list of all 28 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 the North East.

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.

To have personal data erased, see our privacy policy.

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The standard Firmbase list

TIC Companies in the UK