Beyond the page: How Shakewell and RWS are reshaping content delivery in Australia and New Zealand

When it comes to digital content delivery, the world is no longer satisfied with static PDFs or hard-to-maintain publishing workflows. Organizations in government, academia, aviation, and standards publishing are all facing a similar dilemma: how to make complex, high-volume content easy to navigate, update, and consume. And in markets like Australia and New Zealand, the need for local expertise and technical capability is greater than ever.

Introducing Shakewell Agency

Shakewell is a boutique consultancy based in Australia with a growing team across three global locations. Known for their creative digital work and full-service agency model, they’ve recently expanded into enterprise content solutions. The agency brings together years of experience in structured content, workflow design, and technical delivery, particularly in sectors where content accuracy, accessibility, and longevity are mission-critical.

The team has deep roots in software engineering and publishing systems, evolving into specialists in structured content architecture and delivery. They bring hands-on experience in XML-based publishing solutions including DITA, JATS, S1000D, and XHTML. Shakewell’s combination of consulting, custom implementation, and digital agency expertise means they can guide organizations from strategy through to execution - and support the entire lifecycle of enterprise content platforms.

A closer look at the Content Portal

Although predominantly a services organization, Shakewell’s flagship product, the Content Portal, is built for the real-world needs of content-heavy industries. It delivers structured and unstructured publications in an interface designed for usability, scalability, and performance.

Supporting multiple formats (Word, PDF, XML, XHTML), the portal handles large content volumes, regular updates, and granular access requirements. Users can navigate, search, view, download, annotate, and create custom collections - all with version control and dynamic filtering built in. It even enables 'virtual products', allowing organizations to remix existing content modules into personalized manuals or guides.

This has proven especially valuable in standards and regulatory publishing. For instance, electricians using the portal can quickly locate a definition or regulation using voice queries - improving efficiency on the job by boosting Mean Time to Repair and First Time Fix Rate. In another use case, a manufacturing manager can combine selected clauses from gas, electrical, and mechanical standards into a single, annotated guide tailored to their workforce.

The solution also includes a backend for content publishers and branded apps for end users, and it supports headless delivery via APIs for broader integration into external platforms or services.

Real-world success: AEMC

One of Shakewell’s standout projects is their long-running partnership with the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC). AEMC, responsible for setting the rules that govern Australia’s national electricity market, needed a publishing system that could scale with frequent policy and legal updates.

Shakewell implemented a web-based structured content workflow that eliminated the need for XML specialists - empowering legal and policy teams to produce high-quality, compliant documents entirely in-browser. The system automatically publishes to PDF, DOCX, and HTML formats, dramatically streamlining their review and publishing processes. AEMC has since upgraded to a SaaS version of the solution, validating its long-term value and Shakewell’s ongoing support.

Why the partnership with RWS makes sense

This is where the partnership with RWS becomes especially meaningful. RWS brings global reach, a leading content management platform in Tridion, and proven expertise in structured content and multilingual publishing. Combined with Shakewell’s technical depth and regional presence, the two companies are ideally placed to support complex content needs in Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ).

Shakewell is actively growing its Tridion capabilities and is already identifying opportunities where it can support RWS-led deployments or act as a trusted regional delivery partner. With overlap in core industries and complementary skills, the partnership is designed to accelerate the adoption of smarter content technology in markets where local support matters.

As pointed out by Shakewell CTO Gareth Oakes during our recent partner spotlight, organizations in the region are open to global platforms—but not if it means waiting until the next business day for help. Shakewell helps bridge that gap.

Complementary strengths, shared goals

The partnership is already unlocking opportunities. Shakewell’s Content Portal could serve as a dynamic front end for Tridion-managed content, particularly where personalized delivery or filtering across file formats is needed. And with RWS providing the underlying structure, language support, and scalability, customers can be confident they’re investing in a future-proof solution.

It’s a partnership built on trust, technical depth, and a shared understanding of what content-heavy organizations need to succeed.

For those in the A/NZ region navigating digital transformation in content, this collaboration offers a clear path forward—with the right technology, the right expertise, and the right support, right where it’s needed.

Explore more:

• Learn more about Shakewell and their approach to content solutions.
• Discover how Tridion Docs can power structured content at scale.
• Interested in partnering with RWS Tridion? Explore our Partner Ecosystem and how to get involved.