ADAS: rewriting the aftermarket rulebook
ADAS: rewriting the aftermarket rulebook
As commercial fleets race toward smarter, safer operations, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are fast becoming standard. As these systems evolve and multiply, however, they’re rewriting the rules of the aftermarket – from calibration to compliance. JULIA TEW investigates.
Depending on the feature, ADAS technology has the ability to reduce crashes by between 20% and 46%, states US vehicle suppliers association MEMA in its 2025 ADAS report. Not just safety of commercial vehicles is improved, but also operational efficiency, thanks to the sensors, cameras, radar and software that monitor the vehicle’s driver and surroundings.
Often defined as “active safety systems” in South Africa, common ADAS features include collision avoidance and emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control (ACC), blind-spot detection and driver-monitoring systems that track driver alertness and behaviour. This tech is integrated into existing vehicle architectures, so to optimise data utilisation any supplementary telematics or fleet management systems installed should be ADAS-compatible.
Calibration saves lives, prevents lawsuits
To ensure ADAS features continue to function accurately over time, or after a collision, they generally require calibration or recalibration. A collision industry specialist is quoted as saying: “Properly calibrating ADAS systems is a matter not of inches but of millimetres.” Even being slightly off can mean a sensor misses a target by a metre or triggers at the wrong time. To illustrate, a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that a forward camera misaligned by only 0.6° reduced an automated emergency braking (AEB) system’s effective reaction time by 60% (from 1.5 to just 0.6-0.9 seconds). That kind of degradation can be the difference between a near-miss and a serious crash.
The US is seeing a growing number of cases litigated concerning faulty ADAS systems due to missed calibrations. That’s where ADAS calibration equipment and software come into play. They help workshop technicians align sensors, cameras and radars to manufacturer specifications, ensuring optimal safety and performance. Little wonder, then, that the global market for ADAS calibration equipment is expected to more than double in the next decade, from US$2.5 billion in 2024 to US$5.1 billion by 2033.
“Investors have increasingly evaluated opportunities within tech-enabled aftermarket services – namely ADAS diagnostics and calibration,” notes Yogesh Punjabi, managing director of investment banking firm Capstone Partners. “As vehicles become increasingly complex and ADAS more commonplace, both collision repair and general repair operators will have to evolve and offer competitive solutions for a growing customer base that is increasingly in need of these mission-critical services.”
Jim Fish, MEMA’s technology advisor, agrees: “ADAS system service and calibrations represent the fastest-growing area of the US industry. The research data presents a compelling picture for component suppliers and repair facilities to be bullish on the ADAS market and that clearly includes the mechanical channel.”
Prominent players
Global ADAS players include tier-one suppliers like Aptiv, Bosch, Continental, Magna, Valeo and the ZF Group. Providing sensors, software, equipment and other integrated solutions, many also collaborate with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and fleet operators to develop tailored packages. Aptiv’s Gen 6 ADAS platform, for example, combines software and computing hardware with sensing and perception capabilities. The developer-friendly platform enables OEMs to tailor the system and scale it to accommodate lower-cost vehicles all the way to premium models.
Then there are the calibration specialists. Founded in 2021, ADAS Solutions USA operates certified ADAS static calibration centres in nine locations across four US states, offering advanced calibration and diagnostic technologies for all vehicles. The firm’s goal is to operate up to 1,000 locations countrywide. Founder and COO Jerry Cathcart notes that currently, 73% of vehicles’ ADAS calibration needs are not being met in the US. Even worse, of the remaining 27% of vehicles that are being calibrated, half are done incorrectly. Cathcart believes that this is largely because manufacturer-defined standards are not followed.
He adds that by 2029 adaptive emergency braking will be mandatory on all vehicles sold in the US, with reverse emergency braking likely to follow in 2032. “With that guidance, every vehicle will have the capability to stop in emergency situations, meaning radar systems to detect these situations will be mandatory across the board. Collisions are still going to happen, so radar systems are going to need static and dynamic calibration, depending on the manufacturer,” he explains.
Cathcart estimates that the US currently needs 35,000 calibration centres across the country. This number will rise by the time fully-adaptive-braking vehicles come into place with emergency stop functionality – and that’s not even taking into account level-four and level-five self-driving vehicles.
The South African scene
Valued at over US$10 billion in 2023, South Africa’s aftermarket sector is projected to grow by about 5% annually through 2030, with demand spurred by an ageing out-of-warranty vehicle parc. Historically anchored in conventional replacement parts and services for transmissions and axle systems, the tide appears to be turning as more vehicles are equipped with ADAS technologies. The demand for diagnostic tools, sensor servicing, calibration and specialised ADAS training presents a growing incremental opportunity for aftermarket players.
Decreasing sensor costs, rising demand for safety features and regulatory mandates are also driving aftermarket growth, with workshops increasingly investing in ADAS calibration and sensor-replacement capability.
Founded in 1969, ZF Aftermarket South Africa is a leading local aftermarket sales and service organisation, and part of the global ZF Group – an OE supplier of over 55 automotive brands. South African customers are supported with high-quality spare parts, technical expertise and other solutions that ensure reliable operation and maintenance of vehicles. ADAS-related parts include the WABCO front-camera sensors for lane departure warnings and radar sensors for emergency braking, which have been installed in many commercial vehicles in the country.
ADAS services such as diagnostics and calibration are performed on local fleets by qualified and accredited independent workshops in the ZF [pro]Service partner network; all partners own and operate diagnostics and calibration equipment to support the products. Among the 19 specialist workshops in this network is JMR Transport Solutions – a member of the international BPW Group. The company operates 10 branches and three service centres across the country, including its Alrode workshop in Gauteng, which is BPW- and WABCO-accredited and an AFRIT-approved service centre. It also supplies high-quality truck and trailer parts to more than 2,500 customers throughout Southern Africa.
Exciting news for ZF [pro]Service partners like JMR is that, later this year, ZF Aftermarket South Africa plans to launch ZF Multiscan – a multi-brand diagnostics interface that allows full OE-compliant diagnostics including ADAS calibration functions. Designed for independent workshops, tyre centres and fast fitters, the interface works on standard Windows laptops and tablets and includes flexible and affordable subscription options.
Regulatory developments
Globally, regulation of the automotive aftermarket for ADAS is being shaped by two powerful forces: safety standards and data access rights. On the technical side, most countries align with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) vehicle safety framework, which sets detailed performance and calibration requirements for systems such as automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance.
In the EU, these standards have been strengthened under the General Safety Regulation (EU 2019/2144), which makes several ADAS features mandatory in new vehicles and enforces strict type-approval conditions for sensors, cameras and radar components. This has a direct ripple effect on the aftermarket: workshops must now meet precise calibration and tooling standards to ensure that replaced or repaired sensors perform to factory specifications.
At the same time, the “right to repair” debate – spanning the EU, UK, US and South Africa – has become central to the future of the aftermarket. Regulators and competition authorities are pushing for independent repairers to have fair access to diagnostic data, software and telematics systems, while balancing this with cybersecurity and safety concerns. The resulting framework is evolving toward structured, tiered access models that define what independent service providers (ISPs) can do – from reading diagnostic codes to performing software updates – without compromising vehicle integrity.
In South Africa, these global trends are beginning to take root within a distinct local policy and market context. The country’s homologation and vehicle standards, which are managed through the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) and South African National Standards (SANS), already align closely with UNECE rules, meaning that many of the same ADAS performance and calibration requirements apply to vehicles sold locally.
The more immediate regulatory driver for South Africa’s aftermarket, however, is the growing focus on competition and consumer rights. The Competition Commission’s Guidelines for Competition in the South African Automotive Aftermarket – developed alongside the Right to Repair South Africa (R2RSA) campaign – have opened the door for independent workshops to access OEM parts, repair information and training that were once restricted to authorised dealers. While the framework is not yet as comprehensive as Europe’s digital access regulations, it marks a major step toward a more open, competitive ecosystem.
The next frontier lies in data and software access: as ADAS and telematics become central to vehicle servicing, the challenge will be ensuring that ISPs can safely access the digital systems that underpin modern vehicle safety, without undermining cybersecurity or OEM liability.
Next-gen on the doorstep
The evolution of ADAS is critical not only to road safety but also to next-generation mobility, especially given the continued proliferation of novel technologies, like solid-state LiDAR, used in many self-driving vehicles.
While the challenges, like the opportunities, are not insignificant, the aftermarket sector looks well positioned to intensify its efforts in supporting smarter, safer and more reliable fleets. If ADAS is rewriting the aftermarket, South Africa’s workshops are holding the pen – ready or not.
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