The Engine business is a testament to successful strategic transformation. In a changeable, rapidly evolving economic climate, it has expanded from a slowing direct mail operation into a comprehensive data-driven fulfilment business, specialising in sport and lifestyle, health, and corporate services.
At the heart of this remarkable turnaround is CEO Scott Allen, whose leadership and strategic partnership with FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia (FBAU) drove the market expansion. Here’s how it worked.
Crisis and strategic vision
Allen stepped up as CEO in late 2020, facing immediate challenges. “The pandemic’s impact on print was profound; we saw migration away from physical communications to digital,” he explains.
An immediate strategic pivot was essential. “You could see the decline in direct mail volumes even pre-Covid. If we continued to just focus on direct mail, we wouldn’t be having this conversation today – the business would be closed,” Allen adds.
The significant operational challenges went beyond just ageing equipment. “Initially it was addressing the concerns of both our people and customers to provide direction and confidence that the business would be successful,” Allen recalls. “We placed strong emphasis on driving a new culture for our people, and in turn, this instilled a new level of focus on innovation.”
The success of Engine’s transformation required more than just business strategy – it demanded the right technology infrastructure to support ambitious growth plans.
Data-driven technology – Engine’s enabler
With diverse print applications in demand, along with Engine’s growing fulfilment, merchandise and marketing capabilities, Allen and his team evaluated multiple vendors before choosing to expand with FBAU. “Engine did go to market and we assessed a range of vendors. There’s not really any bad technology on market these days in this space. They’re all pretty good,” he says.
Three factors proved decisive in choosing FBAU:
Superior output quality – When FBAU lined up all the options, it felt the Revoria PressTM output quality was the best for what its customers needed and met the company’s expectations, while significantly accelerating its delivery speed and optimised its overall work performance. The business impact was immediate.
Service excellence – When FBAU needs fast turnaround or PM support on its print fleet, the service team always assists to ensure the company doesn’t let its customers down.
Six-colour capability – Revoria PressTM PC1120’s 6-colour option is critical for FBAU as its customers need a range of colours within existing applications.
Spotlight – Engine’s agility in action
Engine’s responsive capabilities shone the day of the AFL grand final in 2024 when Allen took a call from one of the AFL clients. “Is there any chance you can get a printed box and a Tasmania football jumper into the Melbourne Cricket Ground to present to Katy Perry today.”
“We printed the box within the hour, packed the jumper, threw it in a car and drove it into the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Tasmanian Devils Football Club were able to get a promotional shot with Katy Perry in their footy jumper. This is Engine’s value proposition in one story,” says Allen.
“We do get a lot of that in the sports space. Real estate is somewhat similar – a client might list a house today and need a board up and a set of brochures done for tomorrow,” Allen adds. And this agility relies in turn on FBAU’s trusted one-stop support and dependable, quality products.
The partnership advantage
Engine and FBAU’s relationship extends well beyond equipment supply. “The service and support are as important as the technology, if not more so,” Allen emphasises. “We have had a long-standing partnership with the support team at FBAU, and we have the confidence that no matter what we need, they will deliver.”
This partnership approach proved crucial during the decision-making process around print format strategy. Engine considered moving to B2 format production but ultimately chose SRA3. “We love technology, and the lure of the big printing platform is always there. But the reality was, most of our clients didn’t actually need the B2 format at that time,” Allen continues.
“The choice was there to invest in one large machine, but it didn’t really give us any flexibility. And if it went down, we didn’t have any redundancy,” Allen explains. “The Revoria PressTM PC1120 gives us the best ‘bang for our buck’, and the greatest flexibility for our customers. The seamless deployment and intuitive interface significantly enhanced our print specialists’ operations, dramatically reducing turnaround times and increasing overall efficiency.”
Building for the future
The numbers tell a compelling story. “Our business has seen revenues grow more than 50 per cent since 2020 and the FBAU partnership has been instrumental in fostering this growth,” Allen comments.
“Perhaps more remarkably, this growth was achieved through efficiencies rather than expansion. As we’ve grown revenue, we didn’t substantially increase staff numbers from a back-end systems standpoint. We spent a lot on automation and our IT infrastructure so that we could keep the staff that we had.”
Looking ahead, Engine continues to invest in expanding capabilities. “Engine is seeing strong demand for large format direct to media printing so we expect to expand our capabilities in this space. We invested in the Acuity Prime 30 two years ago with limited volumes. However, volumes have grown to the point where we will need to expand our capabilities,” adds Allen.
Strategic advice for industry peers
Allen’s advice to similar businesses reflects his measured approach.
“It’s very easy in this industry to get seduced by the amazing technology out there, I would recommend, though, that you really assess your clients’ requirements and your capabilities and ensure that you don’t over-stretch,” he explains. “You can always scale your technology up – it’s very difficult to go the other way. Work on relationships with key partners and outsource where it makes sense.”
The FBAU advantage
The FBAU partnership continues to evolve, with Engine recently investing in XMPie technology upgrades and considering further automation investments, including robotics, as it plans warehouse expansion.
Allen concludes, “FBAU is a well-known brand and gives our customers confidence that we are working with industry leaders and receiving technology advice from experts. This both futureproofs our business and gives customers a roadmap for where their applications can go.”
From a direct mail business to a data-driven fulfilment powerhouse, Engine’s transformation demonstrates how strategic vision, operational excellence, and the right technology partnerships can turn crisis into opportunity.
This article was first published in the January-February 2026 edition of Print21, page 32.