On September 19, according to Autocar, the UK government has officially stepped in to assist Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in restoring car production following a cyberattack. A few days earlier, JLR announced that due to the impact of the attack, it would extend its production suspension until September 24, requiring 33,000 employees to stay home as operations came to a halt.
The cyberattack began on September 2, forcing JLR to shut down its systems, which disrupted car production. At the time, the company said it was investigating the incident and needed time to gradually and systematically restore global operations.
UK Business and Trade Minister Chris McDonald said he had met with JLR management to discuss solutions and production recovery plans. He added that government cybersecurity experts were working intensively to help the company resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
On Tuesday local time, JLR stated that it plans to restart production lines from September 24.
A statement from the UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) confirmed that the government is helping JLR restore its internal systems, while also dispatching cybersecurity experts to assess the “impact on the supply chain.” The Unite union warned on Wednesday that the supply chain was on the verge of collapse.
The SMMT statement read: “The recent cyberattack has had a severe impact on Jaguar Land Rover and the entire automotive supply chain. Government and cybersecurity experts are working closely with the company to support production recovery and assess potential supply chain disruptions.”
The attack has forced JLR to halt production at its global plants, obstructed parts orders, and affected retail operations. Professor of business economics David Bailey told Autocar last week that the incident could be costing JLR up to £5 million per day.
Reports suggest that some suppliers may face bankruptcy due to the prolonged shutdown. Former Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer told the BBC on September 12: “I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see bankruptcies.” He added that as the shutdown drags on, suppliers will be forced to cut jobs: “In the first week of shutdown, you absorb the losses; by the second week, when you have more information, you start major layoffs. So layoffs have either already begun or are being planned.”