Achieving UN/ECE R156 Certification With ZF’s SUMS Service Suite
In this interview Ralf Saatkamp, CEO and Owner of System Trailers Fahrzeugbau GmbH, shares how they reached this achievement and how ZF’s SUMS Service Suite supported them along the way.
How would you describe your journey toward achieving compliance with UN/ECE R156?
Implementing UN/ECE R156 was undoubtedly complex - but it was a one‑time challenge. Because we started early, we had enough time to fully understand the requirements, prepare internally, and complete certification without disruption. Now all that upfront effort is paying off: our processes run smoothly and efficiently, and we’re well set up for the long run.
Ralf Saatkamp, CEO and Owner of System Trailers Fahrzeugbau GmbH
Trailers involve software from many suppliers. How do you handle this complexity while staying compliant?
Complexity is part of our DNA. With such a broad and diverse product portfolio, we’re used to handling a wide range of configurations. For R156, we focused especially on safety‑critical devices and made sure every software update met the strict compliance requirements. We set up a dedicated SUMS environment -built on ZF’s toolkit - and fully validated our processes to ensure everything was accurate and ready for certification.
How did ZF’s SUMS Service Suite support your UN/ECE R156 implementation, and what benefits are you seeing in day‑to‑day operations?
We used the documentation package including handbook, checklists, and templates as a practical blueprint to design our SUMS, supported by ZF‘s consultancy service and targeted training program that aligned all involved stakeholders. On the tooling side, ZF’s SCALAR Software Manager - integrated with ZF [pro]Diagnostics - provides the essential automation, security, and verification capabilities we need. As ZF [pro]Diagnostics is being rolled out across the ZF [pro]Service network, this setup is enabling standardized, automated, audit‑ready processes we can fully rely on.
In daily operations, the toolkit is intuitive. Although we expect ongoing enhancements, the additional R156 processes have not impacted end users. The toolkit has also opened new digital channels with our customers, improving transparency throughout the software update lifecycle.
What challenges did you face during implementation, and what advice would you give others?
The regulation’s complexity represented the biggest challenge - it’s new for everyone, including auditors, and there are no established best practices. Developing an in‑house SUMS demands substantial resources and specialized expertise.
Our advice: involve top management early. Compliance cannot be achieved by a small team working in isolation. And engage external partners from the beginning. Collaboration with suppliers and the technical service is critical to achieving successful certification.
System Trailers company premises
What were the key criteria in your evaluation of SUMS solutions, and what ultimately led you to choose ZF’s SUMS Service Suite?
ZF is a long‑standing, trusted partner for us, which made them a natural choice when selecting a SUMS solution for R156 compliance. Their industry‑leading ISO 24089 certification was a strong differentiator, and together with their ISO 21434 cybersecurity certification, it further strengthened our confidence in the security and maturity of ZF’s SUMS Service Suite.
In addition, the strong guidance and comprehensive consultancy from ZF’s SUMS experts were essential in navigating regulatory and technical complexity and tailoring the solution to our specific needs.
Company Profile
System Trailers Fahrzeugbau GmbH develops and produces customer‑branded trailers and chassis for trailer manufacturers and resellers. Their portfolio ranges from curtain siders, box and tipper trailers to drawbar trailers with up to five axles, dollies, refrigerated subframes, central axle chassis, and many other specialized configurations.
With in-depth engineering expertise and strong manufacturing excellence, the company covers customer needs from full‑scale production to serial batches and highly customized niche builds. On a site spanning more than 100,000 square meters, a dedicated team of 300 professionals delivers several thousand trailers and trailer chassis each year.
As an early adopter of the ZF SUMS Service Suite, System Trailers Fahrzeugbau GmbH is among the first trailer manufacturers in Europe to successfully pass UN/ECE R156 certification - a regulatory milestone that reflects the industry’s evolution toward the software‑defined commercial vehicle.