Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has started a phased restart of its manufacturing operations more than a month after a cyber-attack forced it to shut down factories and retail operations worldwide. The British carmaker also reported a sharp drop in sales during a “challenging quarter”.
The phased restart began on Wednesday at JLR sites across the West Midlands, including its engine-making factory in Wolverhampton and its battery assembly centre in Hams Hall near Birmingham. Work also recommenced at stamping operations in Castle Bromwich, Halewood and Solihull, as well as the body shop, paint shop and logistics centre at Solihull.
Vehicle manufacturing in Nitra, Slovakia, will restart shortly after, along with the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport production lines in Solihull this week. An update on the Halewood plant on Merseyside will be given soon.
JLR also announced a new financing scheme to provide struggling suppliers with cash upfront during the restart period. Qualifying suppliers will be paid much faster than usual, aiding their cashflow. The scheme will later be expanded to include some non-production suppliers.
Figures published on Tuesday show JLR’s retail sales fell 17% year on year to 85,495 vehicles in the three months to 30 September, while wholesale deliveries dropped 24%. JLR attributed this to the production stoppage, the planned wind-down of legacy Jaguar models, and US tariffs affecting exports.
Adrian Mardell, JLR chief executive, said the restart marked “an important moment”, adding: “We know there is much more to do but our recovery is firmly under way.” The company employs 34,000 people in the UK and has the largest supply chain in the country’s carmaking industry.
