Royal Warrant holder SFM Technology enters administration with FRP Advisory appointed
FRP Advisory's Andy John and Miles Needham were appointed joint administrators to SFM Technology Limited on 15 May 2026 after a High Court order.
Information for general guidance, drawn from the public record. Not legal, financial, or insolvency advice. If you are affected by an insolvency, consult a licensed practitioner or qualified solicitor.
SFM Technology Limited, a Somerset machinery maker that held a Royal Warrant awarded in 2012 permitting use of the Royal Arms in connection with supplying the royal household, entered administration on 15 May 2026 after the High Court of Justice sealed the appointment.
Andy John and Miles Needham of FRP Advisory Trading Limited were named joint administrators - two licensed insolvency practitioners appointed to act together, each generally able to act alone. The appointment was confirmed under case number CR-2026-002566.
Administration is a formal insolvency process in which licensed insolvency practitioners take control of a company to try to rescue it, sell it as a going concern, or realise its assets for creditors.
About the company
SFM Technology is registered at Unit 9, Bancombe Court, Martock Trading Estate, Martock, Somerset, TA12 6HB. It was incorporated in March 1985, trading first as Oval (201) Limited before becoming Somerset Fruit Machinery Limited in December 1985. The company took its current name in August 1997.
Its registered trade description is the manufacture of other general-purpose machinery not elsewhere classified. Over the years the business grew well beyond its fruit-harvesting origins to offer design, research and development, manufacturing, 3D printing and powder coating services. Its customer base at the time of administration included the Ministry of Defence and Orchard Pig Cider, alongside the royal household connection underpinned by the 2012 Royal Warrant.
The last filed accounts at Companies House were made up to 31 December 2023 and submitted as total-exemption full accounts.
The administrators
John and Needham, both of FRP Advisory Trading Limited, are the joint administrators. Their appointment was made through the High Court of Justice. FRP Advisory's registered contact address for the case is 2nd Floor, Churchill House, 26-30 Upper Marlborough Road, St Albans, AL1 3UU, where correspondence for the administration is being directed.
Directors and officers
Richard Whittington is the sole director at the time of the administration notice, having held that position since 14 March 1996. All other former directors resigned long before the appointment: Malcolm Reginald Bates left in December 1999, James Frederic Whigham McConnel in March 2001, William Kennedy McConnel in December 2002, and Christopher Pomphrey in January 2006.
Secured lending
One outstanding charge appears on the Companies House register. Lloyds TSB Bank PLC holds an omnibus guarantee and set-off agreement, created on 22 December 2007 and delivered for registration on 29 December 2007. The charge covers any sum standing to the credit of any present or future account of the company with the bank. Lloyds TSB Bank is a secured creditor - a creditor whose debt is backed by a charge over the company's assets, ranking ahead of unsecured creditors in any distribution.
Background
Court records show that a winding-up petition was presented against SFM Technology in the High Court under case number CR-2025-006786 in 2025, suggesting financial pressure predated the administration appointment by some months. The administration application was filed in March 2026 and the appointment of John and Needham followed on 15 May 2026.
For creditors, suppliers and customers
Once administrators are appointed, the conduct of creditors' claims passes to the officeholders. John and Needham will issue statutory communications and payment instructions to known creditors in due course, with correspondence handled through FRP Advisory at the St Albans address.
Creditors wishing to evidence the amount they are owed do so through a proof of debt, the formal claim form submitted to the administrators. This is a standard feature of the UK insolvency process and the administrators will set out the relevant procedure in their communications.
The appointment triggers a moratorium under Schedule B1, paragraph 43 of the Insolvency Act 1986. The moratorium pauses most creditor enforcement action, including the commencement or continuation of legal proceedings, without leave of the court. It applies automatically from the date of appointment.
Customers who paid for goods or services that were not delivered before the administration, and who hold deposits or gift vouchers, rank as unsecured creditors in the process. Unsecured creditors are those whose debts are not backed by a charge over assets; they rank behind secured creditors and certain preferential claims in any distribution from the estate.
Employees affected by the administration have their claims for unpaid wages, notice pay and redundancy handled through the administration process. Where the company's assets are insufficient to meet those claims in full, the Redundancy Payments Service, operated by the Insolvency Service, exists to meet certain statutory entitlements owed to employees from a government fund.
Common questions
Are you owed money by Sfm Technology Limited?
You are an unsecured creditor unless you hold a registered charge or retention of title. The administrators will write to known creditors in due course with a proof-of-debt form and timetable for the first meeting. Until that letter arrives, no formal action is required from you. Read more about proof of debt and where you sit in the creditor hierarchy.
Did you work at Sfm Technology Limited?
Wages owed up to a statutory cap, holiday pay, notice pay and redundancy may be claimable from the Redundancy Payments Service if the company is unable to pay. The administrators will normally coordinate the RP1 claim with the affected staff. See gov.uk: your rights if your employer is insolvent.
Do you hold a deposit, gift card or undelivered order from Sfm Technology Limited?
Customers with paid-but-undelivered orders, gift cards or deposits typically rank as unsecured creditors. Where you paid by credit card and the amount was over £100, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may let you claim from the card issuer for breach of contract or misrepresentation by the supplier; the rules apply per item, not per transaction, and the card must be a regulated credit card. Debit-card payments may be recoverable via chargeback.
Are you a director of a company connected to Sfm Technology Limited?
Watch for Section 216 of the Insolvency Act 1986 if you intend to keep trading under a similar name in a successor company. The rule prohibits a director of a liquidated company from being involved in another company using the same or a similar name for five years, unless one of the statutory exceptions applies. Read more about Section 216.
Sources
- The London Gazette notice (code Appointment of Administrators)
- Companies House record 01900440
- Court: High Court of Justice
- Editorial standards: how we source and review; five-pass pipeline.
