Jaguar Land Rover set to resume UK production after cyber attack shutdown

Jaguar Land Rover's UK plants in West Midlands and Merseyside had stopped operations on September 1 due to a cyber attack

Luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced that it will restart some of its manufacturing operations in the coming days, following a cyber attack that forced it to halt its plants across the UK, BBC reported. 

Work at the company’s three facilities in the West Midlands and Merseyside stopped on September 1 after the cyber attack struck the night before. Initially, JLR had said production would not resume until at least October 1. 

The company is continuing efforts to recover from the shutdown. "We continue to work around the clock alongside cybersecurity specialists, the UK Government's NCSC and law enforcement to ensure our restart is done in a safe and secure manner," A JLR spokesperson said, as quoted by BBC.

 

 

Phased restart expected

The restart will be phased, with the Wolverhampton engine plant likely taking priority. However, full production across all facilities is expected to take several weeks. Suppliers have welcomed the news, though many smaller firms, which rely heavily on JLR orders, remain financially vulnerable, the news report said. 

About 30,000 people are employed directly at JLR’s UK plants in Solihull, Wolverhampton, and Halewood, while around 100,000 work in the supply chain. Over the weekend, the UK government announced £1.5 billion in loan guarantees for JLR, with support intended for suppliers as well.   

   

Data impact from cybersecurity incident

The company, owned by India’s Tata Motors, confirmed earlier this month that “some data” was affected in the cybersecurity incident but did not provide specifics, news agency Reuters reported. 

“Our forensic investigation continues at pace and we will contact anyone as appropriate if we find that their data has been impacted,” the company had said. Last week, the company clarified that its Indian operations remain unaffected despite UK plant closures and supply chain disruptions caused by the cyberattack.