Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) says some of its IT systems are back online following a cyber attack that brought production across its global operations to a standstill.
The attack, first detected on 31 August, forced Britain’s biggest carmaker to halt manufacturing at sites in the UK and abroad. Tens of thousands of workers have been unable to carry out their normal duties, while suppliers have faced weeks of disruption.
Controlled restart underway
In a statement on Friday, JLR said parts of its “digital estate” were operational again as part of a controlled and phased restart. “The foundational work of our recovery programme is firmly underway,” the company said.
The restart will allow supplier payments to resume after weeks of delays. “We have significantly increased IT processing capacity for invoicing and are now working to clear the backlog as quickly as possible,” JLR added. Vehicle deliveries have also restarted after temporary workarounds were put in place to bypass the usual registration process.
“These are important initial steps as our dedicated teams work around the clock alongside cybersecurity specialists, the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Centre and law enforcement to ensure we restart in a safe and secure manner,” the company said.
Production still on hold
Despite the progress, car production itself is not expected to restart until at least 1 October. The shutdown has already cost the company and its supply chain hundreds of millions of pounds.
JLR directly employs more than 33,000 people in the UK, most of them at its assembly plants in Solihull and Halewood. A further 200,000 jobs are tied to the carmaker through its supply chain, which has been hit hard by the suspension of orders.
Pressure on government
The disruption has led to calls for government support for smaller suppliers struggling to survive without payments from JLR. But Prime Minister Keir Starmer, asked about possible intervention, said on Thursday: “I haven’t got an outcome here to give to you today.”
The company, owned by India’s Tata Motors, has stressed its priority remains supporting staff, suppliers and retailers during what it described as a “difficult time for all connected with JLR”.
