British car group Jaguar Land Rover announces its global production will not restart until at least October 1, as it deals with continued fallout from an August cyberattack.
The company says it is making the announcement “to give clarity for the coming week” following rumors reported by the BBC that its U.K. operations could be shuttered until November, it says in a statement on its corporate website.
“Our focus remains on supporting our customers, suppliers, colleagues, and our retailers, who remain open,” its statement adds.
The company confirms its U.K. facilities in in Solihull, Halewood and Wolverhampton are expected to open next month, but it has yet to announce any details of its overseas operations also shut while cyber experts assess the impact of the hack.
JLR’s suppliers are warning the shutdown could drag some of the smaller companies into bankruptcy as cashflow dries up.
U.K. government Industry Minister Chris McDonald tells the broadcaster that he was visiting JLR alongside Business Secretary Peter Kyle to “host companies in the supply chain, to listen to workers and hear how we can support them and help get production back online.”
In a statement, McDonald adds: “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.”
