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Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced it will begin a “controlled, phased restart” of some manufacturing operations over the coming days.
The crippling hack on the last day of August has forced the British carmaker, which employs over 33,000 workers, to shut down factories and retail operations globally for nearly a month.
The company, which is owned by India’s Tata conglomerate, is working around the clock with cybersecurity specialists, the UK government’s National Cyber Security Centre and law enforcement to ensure a safe and secure return to production. The Wolverhampton engine factory in the West Midlands is expected to be among the first facilities to restart operations.
The disruption has had a severe impact on JLR’s extensive supply chain, with many smaller manufacturers going without sales for weeks and facing fears of collapse. To ease the financial pressure, the UK government has stepped in, announcing a £1.5 billion loan guarantee for JLR over the weekend.
The loan itself will be provided by private sector banks, with the guarantee from UK Export Finance covering any losses if JLR cannot repay it. Business Secretary Peter Kyle called the announcement “a huge amount of money to help a hugely important company” and the countless affected businesses in its supply chain.
JLR’s luxury models, including the Range Rover, make it a key contributor to the West Midlands automotive industry. The restart of production will bring a welcome return to sales for hundreds of suppliers, though it remains unclear how quickly the new financial support will trickle down to the broader supply chain. JLR has acknowledged there is “much more to do” but stated that the foundational work of its recovery is “firmly under way.”
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