Jaguar Land Rover plans phased UK production restart after major cyber-attack disrupting global sites

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is set to gradually restart production this week following a major cyber-attack that forced a complete shutdown of its UK factories, including sites in Wolverhampton, Solihull, and Halewood, as well as facilities in Slovakia, China, and India. The attack crippled JLR's IT systems at the end of August, halting manufacturing, sales, and parts distribution, and has been estimated to cost the company at least £50 million per week in lost production. The phased restart begins with the Wolverhampton engine plant, but it is expected to take several weeks for all operations to return to full capacity. The shutdown has severely impacted JLR's extensive supply chain, which includes around 120,000 workers in small and medium-sized businesses, leading to financial strain, layoffs, and uncertainty among suppliers. To alleviate this, the UK government has underwritten a £1.5 billion loan guarantee aimed at providing financial support and stability to JLR’s suppliers, although challenges remain in fully mapping and distributing aid throughout the supply chain. The cyber-attack, claimed by a group called Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, remains under investigation as JLR and the government work to restore normal operations and protect jobs in the automotive sector.