North-east engineering firm Vulcan Completion Products is targeting turnover of more than £10 million in its new trading year.
Just over a year ago the fledgling firm told The Press and Journal it was aiming to break through the £5m barrier.
Its forecast for a doubling of turnover this year is reflected in its headcount growth amid expansion at home and abroad.
Vulcan’s fast -growing workforce
Last October the company, based in Westhill, near Aberdeen, employed 21 people – up from nine a year earlier.
The workforce is now 24-strong and rising after the addition of a new office in Malaysia to serve the Asia Pacific region.
Vulcan, whose name is inspired by the iconic Star Trek TV shows and movies, has doubled the size of its team in each of the past three years.
It also has regional offices in Dubai, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
The firm said its five-strong team in Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, were already making “significant gains” by fostering pre-existing relationships and “deepening roots in the area”.
Meanwhile, “significant” investment has created a new research and development hub at its global headquarters in Westhill. This has effectively doubled its footprint in the north-east town, with Vulcan hailing the investment as a “redoubling” of its commitment to the region.
It said the move would further accelerate its “already enviable track record for innovation”, allowing its growing team to “continue leading from the front, and bring new and exciting products to the market to foster future sustainability and prosperity in all the company’s chosen markets”.
Three new members of staff have been recruited in Westhill to “bolster efforts to ensure the pace of development remains brisk and energetic”.
Boldly exploring new frontiers
Founder, managing director, president and big Star Trek fan Ian Kirk said the firm was on a mission to “create centres of knowledge simultaneously in the UK and in key overseas locations”.
Vulcan’s ‘all-important reach’
He continued: “Our entire business is built on the importance of customer relationships.
“The team Vulcan now have on board are probably the most knowledgeable in the field today.”
Adding more people in more locations “ensures that all-important reach” for the firm globally, he said.
Enterprise has had ‘Captain Kirk’ in command since 2017
And the investment in Westhill “consolidates the nucleus from which we will realise our future growth aspirations”, he added.
Mr Kirk, known as “Captain Kirk” among family and friends, founded Vulcan in 2017.
Saudi Arabia’s Alturki Holding Company acquired an undisclosed stake in the firm through its Sawafi oil and gas subsidiary in late 2022.
Conversation