Claude Desktop Integration

This guide demonstrates how to use Companies in the UK MCP with Claude Desktop for comprehensive company research and analysis.

Setup

Quick Setup

1. Add the MCP Server

   • In Claude.ai: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector
   • In Claude Desktop: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector
   • Name: UK Companies
   • URL: https://mcp.companiesintheuk.co.uk
   • Click Save

2. Start Using It

   • Claude.ai: No restart needed
   • Claude Desktop: Restart the app

3. **Verify Connection

Ask Claude:

"What UK company data tools do you have available?"

Claude should list the available tools from Companies in the UK MCP.

Example Conversations

Basic Company Search

User: "Can you find information about Rolls-Royce in the UK?"

Claude: I'll search for Rolls-Royce companies registered in the UK.

[Uses search_companies tool with name="Rolls-Royce"]

I found several Rolls-Royce companies. The main ones are:

1. **ROLLS-ROYCE PLC** (00135933)
   - Status: Active
   - Type: Public Limited Company
   - Incorporated: 1906-03-15
   - Industry: Manufacture of air and spacecraft

2. **ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC** (04706930)
   - Status: Active
   - Type: Public Limited Company
   - Incorporated: 2003-03-06
   
Would you like detailed information about any of these companies?

Financial Analysis

User: "Analyze the financial health of Tesco PLC"

Claude: I'll look up Tesco PLC and analyze their financial position.

[Uses get_company_by_name with name="Tesco PLC"]
[Uses calculate_financial_ratios with company_number="00445790"]

## Tesco PLC Financial Analysis

**Company Overview:**
- Company Number: 00445790
- Status: Active
- Industry: Retail sale in non-specialised stores

**Financial Health Indicators:**

### Liquidity Position
- Current Ratio: 0.76
  ⚠️ Below 1.0 indicates potential short-term liquidity challenges
- Quick Ratio: 0.61
  ⚠️ Low quick ratio suggests heavy inventory dependence

### Solvency Metrics
- Debt-to-Equity: 2.85
  ⚠️ High leverage indicates significant debt financing
- Interest Coverage: 3.2x
  ✅ Adequate ability to service debt

### Efficiency
- Asset Turnover: 1.42
  ✅ Good asset utilization for retail sector
- Working Capital: -£2.1B
  ⚠️ Negative working capital common in retail but requires monitoring

**Overall Assessment:**
Tesco shows typical retail characteristics with high leverage and negative working capital. The company manages cash flow effectively through quick inventory turnover, but the high debt levels require careful monitoring.

Due Diligence Research

User: "I need to do due diligence on a company called 'Tech Innovations UK Ltd' - check their filing compliance and director information"

Claude: I'll conduct due diligence research on Tech Innovations UK Ltd.

[Uses search_companies with name="Tech Innovations UK"]
[Uses get_company_details with company_number found]

## Due Diligence Report: Tech Innovations UK Ltd

**Company Details:**
- Company Number: 12345678
- Incorporated: 2019-06-15
- Status: Active
- Registered Address: 123 Innovation Way, London, EC1A 1BB

**Filing Compliance:** ✅
- Latest Accounts: Filed on time (2023-12-31)
- Latest Confirmation Statement: Current
- No overdue filings

**Directors & Officers:**
1. **John Smith** (Director)
   - Appointed: 2019-06-15
   - British National
   - DOB: January 1980
   - Other Appointments: 2 active directorships

2. **Jane Doe** (Director & Secretary)
   - Appointed: 2019-06-15
   - British National
   - DOB: March 1982
   - Other Appointments: None

**Financial Summary:**
- Total Assets: £2.5M
- Shareholders' Funds: £1.8M
- Cash: £450K
- Debt-to-Equity: 0.39 (Low leverage ✅)

**Risk Indicators:**
✅ All filings up to date
✅ Positive shareholders' funds
✅ Multiple years of operation
✅ Stable director team

**Recommendations:**
The company appears to be in good standing with strong compliance and stable management. Consider reviewing:
1. Customer concentration risk
2. Intellectual property portfolio
3. Key person dependencies

Competitive Analysis

User: "Find and compare supermarket chains in the UK"

Claude: I'll search for major UK supermarket chains and provide a comparison.

[Uses search_companies with sic_code="47110"]
[Uses get_company_details for each major chain]

## UK Supermarket Chains Comparison

| Company | Revenue | Assets | Employees | Market Position |
|---------|---------|--------|-----------|-----------------|
| **Tesco PLC** | £65.8B | £62.0B | 336,000 | Market leader |
| **Sainsbury's** | £31.5B | £24.5B | 189,000 | Second largest |
| **ASDA Group** | £23.0B | £15.2B | 145,000 | Third largest |
| **Morrisons** | £18.1B | £13.8B | 110,000 | Fourth largest |

**Key Insights:**

1. **Market Concentration**: Top 4 control ~70% of UK grocery market

2. **Financial Health Comparison**:
   - Tesco: High leverage (2.85x) but strong cash generation
   - Sainsbury's: Moderate leverage (1.92x), improving margins
   - ASDA: Recent ownership change, increasing investment
   - Morrisons: Private equity owned, focus on cost reduction

3. **Strategic Differences**:
   - Tesco: Diversified with banking and mobile
   - Sainsbury's: Focus on convenience and Argos integration
   - ASDA: Price leadership strategy
   - Morrisons: Vertical integration with manufacturing

Would you like me to dive deeper into any specific company?

Advanced Workflows

Investment Screening

User: "Find profitable technology companies in Cambridge with less than £10M revenue"

Claude: I'll search for technology companies in Cambridge and screen them based on your criteria.

[Uses search_companies with location="Cambridge" and relevant SIC codes]
[Uses get_company_details for each to check financials]

## Investment Screening Results

Found 12 companies matching your criteria:

### Top Candidates:

1. **CamTech Solutions Ltd**
   - Revenue: £8.5M
   - Profit Margin: 18%
   - Growth Rate: 35% YoY
   - Cash: £2.1M
   - No debt

2. **Quantum Software Ltd**
   - Revenue: £6.2M
   - Profit Margin: 22%
   - Growth Rate: 28% YoY
   - Cash: £1.5M
   - D/E Ratio: 0.15

[Additional companies listed...]

**Screening Metrics Applied:**
✅ Location: Cambridge area
✅ Industry: Technology (SIC 62)
✅ Revenue: < £10M
✅ Profitability: Positive EBITDA
✅ Financial filing: Current

Supply Chain Mapping

User: "Map out the corporate structure of the Dyson group of companies"

Claude: I'll map out the Dyson corporate structure by searching for related companies.

[Uses search_companies with name="Dyson"]
[Uses get_company_details for each to identify relationships]

## Dyson Group Corporate Structure

### Parent Company
**DYSON HOLDINGS PLC** (02512190)
- Ultimate UK holding company
- Shareholders' Funds: £1.2B

### Main Operating Companies

#### Manufacturing & R&D
- **DYSON TECHNOLOGY LIMITED** (02965585)
  - Main R&D entity
  - 2,500+ employees
  - Assets: £850M

- **DYSON LIMITED** (01435329)
  - Manufacturing operations
  - Revenue: £5.7B

#### Sales & Distribution
- **DYSON RETAIL LIMITED** (04789873)
  - UK retail operations
  - 45 stores

#### Support Functions
- **DYSON ESTATES LIMITED** (03984521)
  - Property holdings
  - Assets: £320M

### Common Directors Across Group:
- Sir James Dyson (Founder) - Present in 5 entities
- Roland Krueger (CEO) - Present in 3 entities

This structure shows vertical integration from R&D through manufacturing to retail distribution.

Best Practices with Claude

1. Be Specific

Instead of:

"Tell me about Tesco"

Try:

"Analyze Tesco PLC's financial ratios and compare them to industry standards for UK supermarkets"

2. Chain Operations

Build comprehensive analysis through steps:

1. "Search for companies named Amazon in the UK"
2. "Get detailed information about Amazon UK Services Ltd"
3. "Calculate financial ratios for company number 03223028"
4. "Compare this to other e-commerce companies"

3. Use Company Numbers

When you know the company number, use it directly:

"Get financial data for company 00445790 and assess their creditworthiness"

4. Combine with Claude's Knowledge

Leverage Claude's general knowledge with specific data:

"Using Companies in the UK data, verify the current status of Carillion plc and explain what happened to the company"

Troubleshooting

"I don't have access to UK company data"

• Check your Claude Desktop configuration
• Ensure the MCP server URL is correct
• Restart Claude Desktop

"No results found"

• Try searching without company suffixes (Ltd, PLC, etc.)
• Use partial names for broader search
• Check spelling variations

"Rate limit exceeded"

• Wait before retrying
• This is handled at infrastructure level
• Contact support if persistent issues

Tips for Effective Research

1. Start with search: Always begin with a broad search to understand what's available

2. Verify with numbers: Use company numbers for precise lookups

3. Compare multiple sources: Cross-reference director names and addresses to find related companies

4. Track changes: Note filing dates to understand how current the data is

5. Build context: Combine multiple tools for comprehensive analysis

Example Prompts Library

Financial Analysis

• "Calculate key financial ratios for [Company] and explain what they mean"
• "Compare the leverage ratios of the top 5 UK banks"
• "Find companies with improving profit margins over the last 3 years"

Due Diligence

• "Check the filing compliance and director history of [Company]"
• "Find all companies where [Person Name] is a director"
• "Identify any red flags in [Company]'s corporate structure"

Market Research

• "List all active companies in the electric vehicle sector"
• "Find fast-growing SaaS companies with revenue under £5M"
• "Map the competitive landscape for UK cybersecurity firms"

Investment Research

• "Screen for profitable companies with low debt in the renewable energy sector"
• "Find undervalued companies based on P/B ratios in manufacturing"
• "Identify companies with consistent dividend payments over 5 years"

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Next Steps:

• Due Diligence Workflows - Professional research patterns
• Investment Research - Financial analysis patterns
• API Reference - Complete tool documentation

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