"It's a positive turning point": Local business expert on JLR's restart
Jaguar Land Rover have announced some manufacturing production will resume in the "coming days" after a major cyber attack
A business expert says Jaguar Land Rover's phased restart is 'a major turning point' for the West Midlands.
JLR hopes to restart some manufacturing production in the "coming days" as it continues to deal with the fallout from a major cyber attack.
Production has been paused since the end of August but, in their latest statement, the Coventry-based car maker says work to ensure its recovery is "firmly under way".
Professor David Bailey, from Birmingham Business School, says a phased restart is positive news for JLR: "We've seen systems come back online which means JLR can pay suppliers, we've also seen that JLR are able to register cars with the DVLA so they can sell cars again."
Whilst this is a step forward for JLR, Prof Bailey says uncertainty may remain among suppliers: "A phased restart could take several weeks, some sections will resume immediately and this will relieve pressure from parts of the supply chain, such as those who supply components to engine manufacturing.
"Yet, there is a long term uncertainty on how long it will take for full scale car manufacturing to resume. Currently, we don't know is when car production will at Halewood and Solihull will restart and what the speed of that will be."
The government announced that it would underwrite a £1.5 billion pound loan guarantee to JLR to give suppliers some certainty over payments.
In a statement released yesterday, JLR said: "We continue to work around the clock alongside cybersecurity specialists, the UK Government’s NCSC and law enforcement to ensure our restart is done in a safe and secure manner.
"We would like to thank everyone connected with JLR for their continued patience, understanding and support. We know there is much more to do but the foundational work of our recovery is firmly underway, and we will continue to provide updates as we progress."