JLR to resume some manufacturing in coming days after cyber attack

Jaguar Land Rover says a phased restart is under way, with some manufacturing lines set to come back online in the coming days. The UK government has guaranteed a £1.5bn five-year loan to support the recovery and its supplier base.

The latest

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will begin bringing parts of its UK manufacturing back online in the coming days, following a month-long shutdown triggered by a major cyber attack at the end of August. The company says it is proceeding with a controlled, phased restart and will issue updates as progress continues.

Production has been paused since 31 August, affecting its plants in the West Midlands and Halewood on Merseyside, and disrupting global operations. JLR has restored parts of its IT estate, including systems for supplier payments, which is helping to clear unpaid invoices and stabilise the supply chain.

Government support

To underpin the restart and protect jobs in the wider automotive ecosystem, the UK government has underwritten a £1.5bn five-year loan guarantee through UK Export Finance. Ministers framed the move as support for suppliers that have faced acute cash flow pressure during the outage.

Scale of the impact

JLR employs more than 33,000 people in the UK, with several hundred additional firms and roughly 200,000 workers tied into the company’s supply chain. Industry reports estimate significant weekly losses during the shutdown, underscoring the urgency of a measured return to production.

What JLR is saying

“As the controlled, phased restart of our operations continues, we are taking further steps towards our recovery and the return to manufacture of our world-class vehicles,” a spokesperson said, noting that some sections of manufacturing will resume in the coming days.

Why it matters for the tyre and aftermarket sector

• Supplier payments have restarted, which should ease immediate liquidity strains at Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.
• A phased return means call-offs and logistics will ramp gradually. Parts and consumables vendors should plan for staggered volumes, not a single step change. This aligns with JLR’s stated approach to bring systems and lines back online in stages.
• Government backing lowers near-term risk for dependent SMEs, though cash may take time to flow through lower tiers.

What happens next

JLR has indicated that engine production in Wolverhampton is among the areas expected to restart early, with wider vehicle manufacturing to follow as systems are validated. Full normal operations could take weeks, so suppliers should keep close contact with JLR planners and logistics teams for updated schedules.

Tyre News will continue to track production restarts, supplier payment progress, and any further support measures for the automotive supply chain.

‍