Background & Objectives
Vulcan Seals is a leading UK manufacturer supplying mechanical seals and advanced sealing components for global industrial, food, beverage, and pharmaceutical customers. With significant growth in recent years (in both workforce and market reach) the company faced the ongoing challenge of maintaining a strong organisational culture, optimising commercial performance, and ensuring operational reliability.
Vulcan Seals wanted to:
- Ensure new and existing team members reflect company values and contribute positively to culture.
- Build a collaborative, agile workforce to support continued technical excellence and operational delivery.
- Identify and develop people with the potential to support further commercial growth.
- Reduce risk in hiring and development decisions by relying on objective evidence, not intuition.
Reflection & Approach
Mercury Hampton carefully reviewed Vulcan Seals’ requirements before recommending targeted interventions. The consulting team recognised that standard assessments alone would not be sufficient; Vulcan Seals needed evidence-based tools able to provide clarity at organisational, team and individual levels and facilitate ongoing improvement, not just short-term hiring gains.
Diagnostic tools offer more than hiring insights; they provide a strategic view of organisational health, identifying root causes of performance challenges and drivers of success. By aggregating reliable data on culture, behaviour and aptitude, these tools empower leaders to move from reactive to proactive management. They help pinpoint engagement levels, collaboration dynamics and capability gaps early, enabling focused development investments that deliver measurable impact.
Mercury Hampton therefore offered:
- A bespoke programme of cultural diagnostics assessing current alignment and highlighting areas for action at both team and company level.
- Behavioural profiling across key functions, enabling a clear view of work styles and team dynamics.
- Sales aptitude diagnostics identifying commercial strengths and skills gaps to support tailored development as well as succession and progression planning.
Each solution was chosen to provide practical value, delivering not only better hiring outcomes but also informing workforce planning, talent development and leadership decisions that drive business growth and resilience.
Specific Offerings
- Cultural Assessments: Using validated surveys, Mercury Hampton measured the alignment of team behaviours with Vulcan Seals’ core values. This highlighted areas of both strength and misalignment to inform targeted culture initiatives.
- Behavioural Profiling: Detailed individual assessments identified work styles, motivations and interpersonal dynamics. This improved understanding of team functioning and informed recruitment and development decisions to optimise collaboration and performance.
- Sales Aptitude Profiling: A specialised diagnostic tested candidates across six key sales profiles, enabling Vulcan Seals to spot high-potential commercial talent and tailor development plans precisely.
Outcomes
- Delivery of impartial, actionable data mapped to Vulcan Seals’ strategic aims. The diagnostic dashboards and reports enabled leadership to make decisions based on solid evidence rather than anecdotal feedback or assumptions.
- Better understanding of the existing workplace culture, strengths to build on and areas in need of support. This insight informed precise culture initiatives rather than broad or generic interventions.
- Identification of high-potential staff for structured development and commercial succession.
- New, measurable benchmarks for culture, behaviours and commercial capabilities. These form the basis of future leadership review and continuous improvement cycles, embedding the assessment process into the company’s talent management framework.#
Client Feedback
“We were thoroughly impressed with the professionalism and depth of insight provided throughout the project. Dave and Chris were exceptional in guiding us through each stage, ensuring that the process was smooth and that we fully understood the findings.
The cultural and behavioural assessments gave us a clear understanding of how our teams operate and where improvements could be made. The sales aptitude profiling was particularly valuable, enabling us to identify individuals with strong commercial potential and tailor development plans accordingly.
Communication was excellent, and the final reports were both comprehensive and easy to interpret. These insights have already influenced our recruitment strategy and internal development programmes. Overall, we are extremely satisfied with the outcomes and look forward to continuing this partnership.”
Louise Ebdon, Head of Group HR, Vulcan Seals
Ongoing Support
Mercury Hampton continues to work with Vulcan Seals, facilitating regular reassessments, ongoing recruitment support and a bespoke Training & Performance programme. This ensures culture and capability evolve alongside Vulcan Seals’ business growth.
To learn how Mercury Hampton’s diagnostic tools and tailored services can help your organisation align culture, optimise talent, and drive growth, please get in touch. We’re ready to support your business with evidence-based insights and practical solutions.