North East suppliers set to be hit by shutdown

NORTH East automotive suppliers are likely to be impacted by the recent shutdown of Jaguar Land Rover's UK plants in the aftermath of a cyber attack, a key sector voice has said.

- TOM KEIGHLEY Reporter

A number of firms with North East operations, producing components for car making plants, count Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) among their customers. Paul Butler, who leads the North East Automotive Alliance cluster, says the disruption will extend to the region - and at a vulnerable time for the sector.

Mr Butler said: "The cyber attack on JLR is yet another challenge for the automotive industry to face, and it comes at a time when the sector has not yet recovered from previous challenges such as Covid, semiconductor shortages and the transition to electric vehicles.

"JLR are the second largest volume producer in the UK behind Nissan and disruption to production will impact suppliers across the UK, including here in the North East. The UK government recognise the importance of the UK automotive sector and have announced significant support for the sector in recent months.