Safeguarding £5M a Day: How Test Automation Reduced Downtime Risk for a Global Manufacturer

Our Client 

Our client is a global leader in manufacturing advanced composites, including carbon fibre, serving critical aerospace projects worldwide. With 22 factories across multiple countries, they are a key part of the aerospace supply chain, producing materials essential for high-performance applications. 

The Client Challenge 

To modernise and streamline operations, our client launched a four-year transformation to upgrade from Dynamics AX to Dynamics 365, whilst also updating their Manufacturing Execution System (MES). The complexity of this dual rollout introduced critical risks: 

• Distinct MES configurations at each of the 22 factories, requiring tailored integration and test approaches. 

• Manual regression testing created a bottleneck, consuming 23+ hours and pulling business users away from operational priorities. 

• Existing automation efforts had failed, leading to defect leakage and eroded confidence in test coverage. 

• High business risk - any factory downtime could cost the business up to £5 million per day. 

What We Delivered 

Through our Managed Service solution, Roq embedded Quality Engineering leadership across the programme, delivering both stability and acceleration. Our contributions focused on maximising business continuity while improving efficiency: 

• Extended the test scope from functional ERP/MES testing to full end-to-end process validation, uncovering hidden quality gaps. 

• Integrated third-party testing resources into a single unified team, creating shared standards and practices. 

• Designed and implemented a test automation framework, cutting regression execution time by 60% - from 23 hours to under nine. 

• Delivered real-time reporting dashboards with RAG status and metrics on test runs, defect volume, and deployment readiness. 

• Introduced structured documentation, Roq-approved processes, and continuous stakeholder engagement. 

Client Impact 

With Roq’s support, our client significantly de-risked the transformation while building momentum and trust across global teams. Tangible outcomes included: 

• 60% reduction in regression testing time, enabling overnight test execution and daily releases. 

• Avoided potential downtime costs of £5M per day, per factory, by flagging issues before deployment. 

• Increased stakeholder confidence, through clear reporting dashboards and reduced showstopper defects. 

• Freed business users from manual testing, allowing them to return focus to mission-critical operations. 

One senior stakeholder described Roq’s reporting as “game-changing”, helping the business see real progress and make informed go-live decisions. 

To find out how Roq’s Managed Service solution solution can support your business, contact our experts at ask@roq.co.uk.