Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has begun a phased restart of operations following the devastating cyber-attack which curtailed production activities at the car manufacturer.
The UK-based firm, owned by Indian multinational Tata Motors, revealed that it has significantly increased IT processing capacity for invoicing, allowing it to start clearing the backlog of payments to suppliers.
JLR’s financial system, used to process the wholesales of vehicles, has also been brought back online, meaning the company can sell and register cars for clients faster.
Additionally, JLR’s Global Parts Logistics Centre, which supplies the parts distribution centers for retail partners in the UK and around the world, is now returning to full operations.
“As part of the controlled, phased restart of our operations, today we have informed colleagues, suppliers and retail partners that sections of our digital estate are now up and running. The foundational work of our recovery program is firmly underway,” the company wrote in a statement published on September 25.
The update will be of some relief to JLR’s large supply chain, following reports of job losses affecting third-party employees. This includes firms providing ‘just-in-time’ logistics and parts to the manufacturing giant.
JLR announced on September 23 that it was extending its production pause until at least Wednesday, 1 October, as it builds a timeline for a restart to operations.
The firm cautioned that the resumption of operations is in its initial stages. The company is working with the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and law enforcement to ensure the process is carried out in a safe and secure manner.
A leading British workers union, Unite, has called for the UK government to step in and provide a furlough scheme for those at risk of losing their jobs because of the incident.
On September 23, the Government’s Business Secretary Peter Kyle met with executives from JLR and its supply chain to discuss support for getting production back online.
The incident, which was disclosed by JLR on September 2, forced the company to proactively shut down its systems to mitigate the impact.
The attack has been claimed by group calling itself “Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters,” suggesting a possible collaboration between Scattered Spider, ShinyHunters and Lapsus$.
Read now: Organizations Must Update Defenses to Scattered Spider Tactics, Experts Urge
