Automotive giant Jaguar Land Rover is now taking the first tentative steps to restart its operations almost a month after they were crippled by a major cyber attack. Tony McDonough reports
Carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is beginning a “controlled, phased restart” of its operations almost a month after it was crippled by a major cyber attack.
Although production remains suspended until at least Wednesday, October 1, the company has offered the first clear sign that it is getting to grips with the crisis. This will be good news for the 3,500 workers at Halewood in Merseyside.
It also offers hope for the 100,000-plus workers in its supply chain, some of whom have faced the prospect of a period without pay.
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In a statement, the company said: “As part of the controlled, phased restart of our operations, today we have informed colleagues, suppliers and retail partners that sections of our digital estate are now up and running. The foundational work of our recovery programme is firmly underway.”
JLR also said:
- It has significantly increased IT processing capacity for invoicing and is now working to clear the backlog of payments to suppliers as quickly as it can.
- The global parts logistics centre, which supplies the parts distribution centres for retailer partners in the UK and around the world, is now returning to full operations.
- This will enable retail partners to continue to service clients’ vehicles.
- The financial system JLR uses to process the wholesales of vehicles has been brought back online and it is able to sell and register vehicles faster, delivering important cash flow.
JLR added: “These are important initial steps as our dedicated teams work around the clock alongside cybersecurity specialists, the UK Government’s NCSC and law enforcement to ensure we restart in a safe and secure manner.
“Our focus remains on supporting our customers, suppliers, colleagues and our retailers. We fully recognise this is a difficult time for all connected with JLR and we thank everyone for their continued support and patience.