By Steven Symes 
The Jaguar Land Rover operational shutdown that started in late August has been pushed all the way into October. Originally, it sounded like the horrific situation would have been alleviated by early September. Then the company said it would be September 24.
Ford employees are working in the office again.
Now the company says it will be October 1 when the shutdown ends. We’re half expecting that deadline to be pushed back early next week.
In the meantime, the shutdown has affected not only the automaker’s operations in the UK but also Slovakia, India, and Brazil. Not being able to make vehicles, the company is coasting on fumes at this point.
Hackers gained access to JLR’s system and claimed to have stolen sensitive data. Out of an abundance of caution, the company decided to shut everything down, check the system, then bring it up one part at a time to get operations back underway.
But that’s taken a long time and cost the company dearly. The fact it’s come as the Jaguar brand has not been producing new vehicles and has been grappling with a disastrous rebrand, plus Land Rover having been hit with tariff costs for its largest market, the US, one could say the timing is horrible.
Surely other automakers and manufacturing companies are watching this situation closely, perhaps feeling some trepidation. After all, the perpetrators haven’t been caught, so they’re for now free to do it again.
Plus, with global tensions on the rise, it’s not unthinkable that foreign governments could be involved in a case of economic espionage. If so, the frequency and severity of these sorts of attacks could increase.
After all, if this is the work of kids, they might truly be done with all the attention this stunt has brought. But if it’s foreign actors, they will be encouraged by this result and determined to replicate it.
Image via Jaguar Land Rover