Jaguar Land Rover extends shutdown at its factory at Halewood and other sites as the month-long cyber attack crisis continues to cripple the automotive giant and its supply chain. Tony McDonough reports
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) says car production will remain suspended until at least Wednesday, October 1, as the cyber attack crisis continues.
At the beginning of September JLR shut down production at its factory in Halewood in Merseyside, where it employs around 3,500 people, as well as at plants in Solihull, Wolverhampton, Castle Bromwich, Slovakia, China, India and Brazil.
In the following days a group of hackers believed to be behind the recent cyber attack on Marks & Spencer (M&S), went on messaging app Telegram claiming to be behind the JLR incident. They call themselves ‘Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters’.
In a statement on Tuesday JLR said: “Today we have informed colleagues, suppliers and partners that we have extended the current pause in production until Wednesday, October 1, following the cyber incident.
“We have made this decision to give clarity for the coming week as we build the timeline for the phased restart of our operations and continue our investigation.
“Our teams continue to work around the clock alongside cybersecurity specialists, the 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, who remain open. We fully recognise this is a difficult time for all connected with JLR and we thank everyone for their continued support and patience.”
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Last week a group of MPs from Merseyside and the West Midlands sent a letter to the Government requesting for companies in the JLR UK supply chain left stricken by the production shutdown who employ around 200,000 people.
Industry minister Chris McDonald said: “We have two priorities, helping Jaguar Land Rover get back up and running as soon as possible and the long-term health of the supply chain.
“We are acutely aware of the difficulties the stoppage is causing for those suppliers and their staff, many of whom are already taking a financial hit through no fault of their own – and we will do everything we can to reassure them that the government is on their side.”