Production at BMW’s Mini plant in Oxford is set to stop next week because of a shortage of components, leaving workers uncertain about when employment and production will resume.
The Cowley facility’s management has instructed employees to stand down as supplies are disrupted.
People familiar with the situation have reported difficulties obtaining components from Ukraine, which supplies BMW with vehicle parts, including electrical wire harnesses.
BMW has not confirmed that Ukraine is responsible, nor has it identified the component described as critical.
A communication circulated among staff said production plans at Plant Oxford would be changed over the coming weeks.
It added that normal output could not be guaranteed for the two weeks following next week, creating further uncertainty over the plant’s schedule.
BMW intends to recover some of the lost production by bringing forward work in December.
Days previously designated as possible shutdowns, stand-down periods or fixed holidays are expected to be used for scheduled work.
The stoppage is due to begin on Friday, November 6, according to one employee who contacted the Oxford Mail anonymously.
No official restart date had been provided at that point.
Workers were also aware of three weeks of scheduled absence at Christmas, prompting concerns about earnings and whether the plant might remain closed until January.
Unite the Union, which is expected to represent some of the thousands of employees at Plant Oxford, declined to comment on those concerns.
BMW’s spokeswoman said the Oxford plant was operating according to its current plan at the time of the response.
She acknowledged that temporary bottlenecks had caused the company to revise next week’s production schedule.
The business was working with its supplier network, expected the shortage to be temporary and said employees were being kept informed.
The duration of the production suspension remained unconfirmed.
Plant Oxford normally manufactures around 200,000 Mini vehicles annually and provides employment for approximately 4,000 people.
The shortage follows previous disruptions linked to semiconductor supply chains.
In February 2022, BMW halted production at Plant Oxford for an entire week because of a worldwide shortage of chips.
Five production days were expected to be lost while the company waited for deliveries, affecting about 3,800 workers.
In April 2021, production at the Cowley plant was suspended for three working days for the same broad reason, with the global semiconductor shortage affecting vehicle manufacturers internationally.