Lobby group says urgent government intervention required as small suppliers on brink of collapse during shutdown
Small suppliers to Jaguar Land Rover have been asked to put up their family homes as personal guarantees in order to access emergency loans, with no direct UK government support on offer for parts makers a month after the carmaker was hit by a crippling cyber-attack.
JLR, Britains biggest automotive employer, is considering making advance payments to top-tier suppliers as it tries to restart production after the hack , but smaller parts makers warn they are on the brink of collapse without urgent cash injections.
JLR, which makes the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, has not produced a single car since the last day of August. This week it said it would restart limited manufacturing in the coming days.
The production freeze has left many parts makers in a desperate position, without income for more than month.
The Confederation of British Metalforming (CBM), a lobby group representing many JLR suppliers, warned that without urgent government intervention the whole of the UK automotive supply chain could face irreversible damage, threatening thousands of jobs and an industry targeted for growth by the Labour government.
Michael Beese, the managing director of Genex UK, which presses metal parts for several suppliers to JLR, said commercial banks had said that in order to get an expensive loan, suppliers would need to give personal guarantees that could expose them to losing their houses and other assets.
I looked at getting a loan but was quoted interest of 16% and they wanted personal guarantees, Beese said. Why should I put my business and family home on the line when Ive done nothing wrong?
Beese said he had been forced to lay off some of Genexs 17 workers because of a cash shortage. Other suppliers have said loans are not an option for some small companies because they fear breaching rules on directors legal responsibilities.
JLR is considering upfront payments to its direct suppliers in order to inject cash as quickly as possible, according to two people with knowledge of talks. However, it does not have a direct relationship with much of its supply chain, so it would be reliant on bigger suppliers quickly passing on cash to smaller companies.
The business secretary, Peter Kyle, announced on Saturday that the government would provide a guarantee to underwrite a 051.5bn private loan for JLR, although that deal is not thought to have been formally completed. JLR has agreed another 052bn in new debt from banks without state support.
However, the government has not pledged any cash to JLR or its supply chain since the hack, and several people in the automotive industry told the Guardian they believed the 051.5bn loan guarantee had been rushed out ahead of the Labour partys conference in Liverpool without addressing the key issues caused by the hack.
The government loan guarantee was meant to help parts manufacturers indirectly but some smaller suppliers believe it will take too long to trickle down from tier one makers of larger assemblies of components to the generally smaller tier two companies who supply parts to them in turn.
Even if tier one companies receive invoices for new work, under UK law they have up to 60 days to make those payments to the second tier.
The CBM told the Guardian there was little prospect of second-tier and lower-tier suppliers receiving any funding in the short term and it called for direct government support for companies further down the chain.
Steve Morley, the CBMs president, said: This is the only way we can get money quickly to where it is needed most, to prevent the supply chain from collapsing.
JLR is rightly focused on getting payments through to their first-tier suppliers, and its best we allow them to complete that process. Our focus now must be on ensuring that second-tier and smaller suppliers are supported so the whole framework is in place when production restarts.
Across the supply chain, thousands of workers have been laid off, according to industry sources.
Beese said: Weve kept working, building some stock, to keep our employees in work but weve run out of space and material. I have now laid off staff due to the uncertain short-term future. Our customers cant give us clear plans moving forward, so now Im faced with some really tough decisions.
One option suggested by the CBM is using the British Business Banks growth guarantee scheme, for which the government underwrites lending to smaller businesses. Other suppliers have previously asked ministers for a temporary freeze on tax bills and some form of support for workers wages.
A Labour source said: The government acted quickly to ensure JLR and its suppliers could receive support as soon as possible given the tens of thousands of jobs depending on the business.
Small suppliers also called for improved communication from JLR on its progress in restarting production so that they could have a better picture of how long they will have to survive without orders.
JLR, owned by Indias Tata, has been unable to give firm restart dates because it has had to rebuild all of its production systems, so it has been unable to make orders for parts. JLR has set up a helpdesk for suppliers.
The governments business department was approached for comment. The British Business Bank declined to comment.
游说团体称政府需紧急干预，因小型供应商在停业期间濒临崩溃
捷豹路虎的小型供应商被要求以家庭住宅作为个人担保才能获得紧急贷款。在这家汽车制造商遭受严重网络攻击一个月后，英国政府仍未向零部件制造商提供直接支持。
英国最大汽车制造商捷豹路虎（JLR）在遭遇网络攻击后正尝试恢复生产，考虑向一级供应商预付货款，但规模较小的零部件制造商警告称，若无法获得紧急资金注入，他们将面临崩溃边缘。
捷豹路虎公司（JLR）自8月31日起便停产至今。本周该公司宣布将于近日逐步恢复有限产能。
生产停滞已使众多零部件制造商陷入绝境，超过一个月没有收入。
英国金属成形联合会（CBM）作为代表捷豹路虎众多供应商的游说团体警告称，若政府不紧急干预，整个英国汽车供应链或将遭受不可逆转的损害，这将危及数千个工作岗位，并冲击工党政府重点扶持的产业增长计划。
为捷豹路虎（JLR）多家供应商提供金属冲压件的英国Genex公司董事总经理迈克尔·比斯表示，商业银行已告知供应商，若要获得高额贷款，需提供个人担保，这可能使他们面临失去房产及其他资产的风险。
比斯表示："我曾考虑申请贷款，但对方给出的利率高达16%，还要求个人担保。既然我没有任何过错，凭什么要让我的企业和家庭住房承担风险？"
比斯表示，由于资金短缺，他不得不裁减Genex公司的17名员工中的一部分。其他供应商也提到，贷款并非某些小型企业的可行选择，因为他们担心违反有关董事法律责任的规定。
据两位知情人士透露，捷豹路虎（JLR）正考虑向其直接供应商预付货款，以尽快注入现金流。但由于该公司与供应链中大部分企业并无直接合作，因此需依赖大型供应商迅速将资金转拨给中小型企业。
英国商业大臣彼得·凯尔周六宣布，政府将为捷豹路虎（JLR）提供15亿英镑私人贷款的担保，不过该协议据信尚未正式完成。此外，捷豹路虎已与银行达成协议，在不依赖国家支持的情况下再获得20亿英镑的新债务。
然而，自黑客攻击事件以来，英国政府尚未向捷豹路虎（JLR）或其供应链提供任何资金支持。多位汽车行业人士向《卫报》表示，他们认为政府仓促推出的15亿英镑贷款担保方案，只是为了赶在工党利物浦大会前公布，并未切实解决此次网络攻击引发的核心问题。
政府贷款担保本意是间接帮助零部件制造商，但部分小型供应商认为，资金从组装大型组件的“一级”厂商逐步渗透至规模通常更小的“二级”供应商（即向一级厂商提供零部件的企业）这一过程将过于缓慢。
根据英国法律规定，即使一级承包商收到了新工程的发票，他们也有最长60天的时间向二级承包商支付款项。
中国央行（CBM）向《卫报》表示，二级及以下供应商短期内获得资金支持的可能性微乎其微，并呼吁政府为供应链下游企业提供直接援助。
CBM总裁史蒂夫·莫利（Steve Morley）表示：“这是我们能够迅速将资金输送到最需要的地方、防止供应链崩溃的唯一途径。”
捷豹路虎（JLR）目前正专注于向一级供应商完成款项支付，我们最好让他们先完成这一流程。而当前的重中之重，是确保二级及小型供应商获得支持，以便在复产时整个供应链体系能正常运转。
据行业消息人士透露，整个供应链已有数千名工人被解雇。
比斯表示：“我们一直在坚持生产，积攒了一些库存，以保证员工有活可干。但现在我们已耗尽空间和原材料。由于短期前景不明朗，我不得不裁员。客户无法提供明确的发展计划，现在我不得不做出一些非常艰难的决定。”
英国商业银行（CBM）提出的一个方案是采用英国商业发展银行的增长担保计划，该计划由政府为小型企业贷款提供担保。其他供应商此前已向部长们提出请求，希望暂缓征税并对工人工资提供某种形式的支持。
一位工党消息人士表示："鉴于数万工作岗位依赖于捷豹路虎（JLR）及其供应商，政府迅速采取行动，以确保它们能尽快获得支持。"
小型供应商还呼吁捷豹路虎（JLR）就复产进度加强沟通，以便更清晰地了解在无订单状态下需维持运营的时长。
印度塔塔集团旗下的捷豹路虎（JLR）因需重建全部生产系统，目前无法确定确切的复工日期，导致零部件订单难以落实。该公司已为供应商设立专项服务窗口。
记者已联系政府商务部门寻求置评，但英国商业银行拒绝发表评论。
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