Plants remain closed
Jaguar Land Rover will keep its UK factories shut until at least Wednesday. The company is still struggling with the fallout from a cyber attack that began more than a week ago.
Production has stopped at Halewood, Solihull and Wolverhampton. Operations in Slovakia, China and India are also affected. Workers on the assembly lines have been told to stay at home.
On 31 August the company switched off its IT systems to protect them from further harm. That move caused widespread disruption.
Efforts to bring systems back
Jaguar Land Rover says teams are working tirelessly to restore its networks safely. Cybersecurity experts and law enforcement are providing assistance.
Last Thursday the company instructed employees to remain home until at least Tuesday while recovery work continued.
The firm, owned by Tata Motors of India, has not confirmed reports that the disruption could continue for weeks.
Suppliers hit hard
Jaguar Land Rover normally builds around 1,000 vehicles per day. The production halt has badly affected suppliers. Some are said to have told their own workers to stay away.
Dealers and garages also suffered disruption. Dealers could not register new cars, and garages were unable to order parts. Temporary solutions have since eased some of the problems.
The attack came at a difficult moment. New licence plates were released at the start of September, a peak period for deliveries.
Warnings from supply chain
Shaun Adams, managing director of the parts supplier Qualplast, voiced concern over the stoppage. He warned that if it drags on for weeks, his firm will need to reconsider its plans.
Hackers behind the breach
A young hacker group has claimed responsibility for the strike. The same group carried out earlier attacks on other UK businesses, including a major retailer.
They bragged about the breach on Telegram within days. Experts believe the attackers gained access to sensitive information.
Investigators suspect the motive was extortion. Jaguar Land Rover said it is aware of the claims and continues to investigate.
