Autoglass has announced that Andy MacGregor has become the first UK technician to achieve the new IMI ADAS calibration accreditation.

Developed alongside key industry organisations including Autoglass and Thatcham, the accreditation was designed to raise standards in ADAS calibration and ensure accurate recalibration is undertaken.

MacGregor (pictured) was the first in the UK to achieve the accreditation in December, with an additional 26 technicians completing the ADAS training during November. All Autoglass technicians will complete the IMI ADAS calibration accreditation before the end of 2019.

To achieve the IMI accreditation MacGregor first completed an internal ADAS training course, incorporating the eight Belron ADAS Safety Steps which technicians at Autoglass are audited against on a weekly basis, before undertaking three days of practical skills and knowledge training assessed by IMI.

This was followed by a month’s assessment period where the quality of his work was monitored, ensuring his competence and skill was verified over a significant timeframe.

Autoglass’ technical training manager Tim Camm said: “Autoglass is the industry leader in ADAS calibration.

"We were first to market with a calibration service and have continued to lead the industry, continually investing in technical expertise and capabilities to drive skills development.

“From a safety perspective, it is essential that as many UK technicians as possible have the skills to recalibrate ADAS technology to ensure it is used correctly on the roads.

"This accreditation ensures we have a benchmark that all technicians should adhere to so we can pull up standards across the industry."

Macgregor added: “Accurate ADAS calibration is imperative to ensure vehicle and motorist safety on the road. ADAS calibration is something that was long viewed as a ‘nice to have’ in the automotive industry, it is great to see that it is now recognised as a specialist skill.”