After weeks of uncertainty, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced that it will restart production across its major UK manufacturing sites, marking a significant step in the carmaker’s recovery from the cyber-attack that forced a complete shutdown at the beginning of September causing losses of up to £7.1 million a day.
This move brings long-awaited relief to workers and suppliers affected by the pause in operations, as the company begins a “controlled restart” across its facilities in the West Midlands and Merseyside.
Restarting operations and restoring confidence
From Wednesday, production lines will once again begin operating at JLR’s engine manufacturing centre in Wolverhampton and the battery assembly site in Coleshill, Birmingham. Simultaneously, the firm’s stamping operations in Castle Bromwich, Halewood, and Solihull will resume, together with key areas of its Solihull production plant such as its body shop, paint shop, and logistics operations centre—all of which play vital roles in supplying components to JLR’s global network.
Later in the week, the company will also restart vehicle production in JLR Nitra, Slovakia, alongside the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport lines at Solihull.
Adrian Mardell, Chief Executive of JLR, described this as “an important moment” for the business, its workers, and its partners.
“From tomorrow, we will welcome back our colleagues at our engine production plant in Wolverhampton, shortly followed by our colleagues making our world-class cars at Nitra and Solihull,” he said.
“Our suppliers are central to our success, and today we are launching a new financing arrangement that will enable us to pay our suppliers early, using the strength of our balance sheet to support their cash flows. We know there is much more to do, but our recovery is firmly underway.”
A new supplier financing scheme
JLR’s new supplier financing scheme represents a proactive effort to stabilise smaller firms that have been hit hardest by the production pause. The scheme offers up-front payments—up to 120 days earlier than normal—to help struggling suppliers manage cash flow while production scales back up.
The initiative will first target critical suppliers essential to the restart, before expanding to include smaller non-production suppliers affected by the recent shutdown. JLR also confirmed that it will reimburse financing costs for any suppliers participating in the scheme during this recovery phase.
Government-backed stability measures
The restart follows the Government’s decision to underwrite a £1.5 billion loan guarantee to JLR, providing additional reassurance to the company’s extensive UK supply chain—estimated to include over 120,000 workers jobs across small and medium-sized businesses.
While ministers stopped short of introducing a Covid-style furlough scheme, the loan guarantee and JLR’s financing support package represent a coordinated approach to safeguarding the sector’s long-term viability.
The halt in production, estimated to have cost the firm around £120 million, had led to growing concerns that some suppliers could face insolvency. For many in the UK automotive supply chain, this restart represents both an operational and psychological boost after weeks of economic anxiety.
Impact on UK workers
For the thousands of workers directly employed by JLR and the many more who depend on its supply network, this announcement signals a welcome return to stability. Sites in Wolverhampton, Solihull, Coleshill, Halewood, and Castle Bromwich are key employers in their regions, and the gradual restart should help protect jobs that had been at risk during the shutdown.
As The Workers Union has consistently highlighted throughout this disruption, the recovery of key manufacturing industries such as automotive production remains vital to the strength and resilience of the UK economy. The restoration of JLR’s operations therefore represents not only a positive outcome for the company itself but also for the communities and workers who sustain it.
Looking ahead
JLR has described this week’s restart as the beginning of a “controlled recovery”, signalling that further updates will follow as operations return to full capacity, including plans for Halewood in Merseyside. The company is also expected to release its second-quarter financial results later this week, offering a clearer view of the true impact of the cyber incident and the early progress of its recovery efforts.
For now, though, the return to production is a moment of optimism—a reflection of determination, resilience, and the shared interest in seeing one of Britain’s most iconic manufacturers bounce back.
The restart of Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing operations offers renewed hope to UK workers, suppliers, and local economies, marking a positive turning point after weeks of uncertainty. The Workers Union welcomes this development as a step forward for British industry and its dedicated workforce.
