In Type Approval we are obliged to strictly follow the entities of the designer, or OEM and secondary OEMs and product category and model identification Thus:

1. The Type Approval data base is set up based on a World Wide Client Number (WCN) and that WCN must be the physical location of either the designer or the manufacturer.
2. The WCN is further categorized by a specific product name, In general, the product is defined as a "thing produced by labor or effort" or the "result of an act or a process".
3. The product is further categorized as a model, identified by the Manufacturer or the Designer. Several models may share the same intellectual property and be listed under the same Product.
4. An assessment is made of the model against the intended use as provided by the Manufacturer or Designer, and the specific Rules, Guides or Standards associated with the Product.
5. When an assessment is satisfactorily completed, the Model is assigned a serialized Design Assessment Certificate (PDA).
6. The PDA is assigned to the WCN of the entity that will have control of the product and its specifications.
7. If the entity that owns the PDA is also the manufacturer of the PDA, then the Manufacturing Assessment Certificate is also assigned to that WCN.
8. If the entity that owns the PDA decides to subcontract the PDA, then the secondary entity must be a manufacturer. The secondary entity must apply for a Duplicated Product Design Assessment.
9. As set up our Policies and Procedures do not allow for Re-Branding of PDAs.

The ABS Type Approval Program is modeled after the IMO's and EU's programs. Both require a certificate for design and a certificate for manufacturing that together define the product as being "Type Approved." In the EU program, each product must be issued both certificates. When a second approval is done, an individual Design Module is required; the second product may be listed on the manufacturing Module.

Due to the expired time between the issue of the certificate of design and the first opportunity for a surveyor to witness a type test of the product, it is virtually impossible to synchronize these dates. Once a client starts to add more products the problem arises of when to conduct the audits of the individual manufacturing assessments.

In order to streamline the ABS Program, one certificate of management is valid for similar products that have a valid certificate of design. In this manner the manufacturer has the flexibility to add or remove products from its portfolio without affecting the status of the remaining products. Therefore, each individual listing will have as a minimum a Product Design Assessment. The dates of validity for these products will vary according to the date they were issued.

When a product has received a Product Design Assessment (PDA) it is eligible to use the Design Assessed logo.

When a manufacturer has a PDA and has completed a satisfactory Manufacturing Assessment (MA) the product is then eligible for a Confirmation of Type Approval and the Type Approved Product Logo may be used.

It must be understood that both logos are copyrighted and their use must be controlled as follows:

1. Both logos are not to be used at the same time. The Type Approved Product logo takes precedence and is to be used whenever the manufacturer has a valid MA and PDA. In the absence of an MA only the Design Assessed logo may be used when the manufacturer has a valid PDA.
2. Any advertisement or other use of the logos is to be presented to ABS Programs for review prior to use. 
3. The logos may only be used on correspondence, advertising and promotional material and must not be used except in connection with those goods or services defined in the scope and conditions of the Product Design Assessment certificate. 
4. The logos may be used only on those materials (i.e., internet site, letterhead, marketing literature, advertising, invoice stock forms, packaging, etc.) relating to the particular facility and process/product lines included within the Confirmation of Type Approval. 
5. The logos may not, under any circumstances, be used directly on or closely associated with products in such a way as to imply that the products themselves are unit-certified by ABS. 
6. If used with other logos, ABS may ask that the manufacturer discontinue any use of other logos that are unacceptable to ABS and any form of statement that, in the opinion of ABS, might be misleading. 
7. Upon the termination of certification, for whatever reason, the manufacturer must begin to immediately discontinue all use of the logos and to destroy all stocks of material on which they appear. 
8. When advertising the product as ABS Type Approved the manufacturer's name, if different from the parent company, is to be used in conjunction with this logo. Any use should be specific to the process/product line covered and not represented as a blanket approval of the company. 
9. The logo may be scaled uniformly to any size necessary. The color of the logo shall be either black or Pantone 294 blue. 
10. Logos are available by email from absta-programs@eagle.org. 

Both ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 concern the way an organization goes about its work, and not directly the result of this work. In other words, they both concern processes, and not products - at least, not directly. Nevertheless, the way in which the organization manages its processes is obviously going to affect its final product. The management system standards in these families state requirements for what the organization must do to manage processes influencing quality (ISO 9000) or the processes influencing the impact of the organization's activities on the environment (ISO 14000).

Therefore, if we are going to accept ISO 9000 certification it must be in conjunction with some form of product specific audit that is based on our Rules. In our Type Approval process we do not require ISO 9000. What we look for is an Acceptable Quality System (AQS) as per ABS Rule 1-1-A3/5.3. Recognized Quality System (RQS) is simply an AQS system that has been certified to ISO9000 or equivalent.

As a point of order, EU and all other class Type Approvals require the approval of a design + the approval of the manufacturer. It is more correct to refer to the EU Module B as "A Type-Examination certificate" not as a Type Approval certificate.

When a product has the Wheelmark, and it is to be used on an EU flagged vessel, all class societies must accept it at face value.

When a Wheelmarked product is not to be used on an EU flagged vessel, the usual restriction ABS will have is for the surveyor to be contacted prior to installation in order to obtain the surveyor's acceptance for the specific application on ABS classed vessels and as allowed by the Flag of the vessel. The surveyor will also verify that the non EU Government has no specific requirements in addition to the ones used in EU approvals.

When a Product Design Assessment Certificate expires or is superseded by a Rule or specification change, the option of maintaining the listing in the category of Product Design Assessment, Limited (PDA Ltd.) is available. There will be two categories in this PDA Ltd:

1. A product that has expired is pending renewal and requires technical revalidation prior to being used. The term of validity will be one year from the date of expiration of the PDA.
2. A product that will be listed as in compliance with a previous Rule and remains valid only for vessels contracted on or before the effective date of the Rule. The effective date will be included in the service restrictions of the product. The term of validity will be five years subject to continued compliance with the applicable Rule.

A design review letter is the approval of a material, component, product or system for a specific installation on a vessel, MODU or facility. It is typically a one time approval. Normally, a surveyor then witnesses the manufacture of the item and approves its use (Unit Certification).

A Product Design Assessment (PDA) is an assessment it is not an approval. The PDA is a generic assessment of materials, components, products or systems for a specific use in compliance with the Rules, Guides and recognized standards.

In the absence of a known vessel, MODU or facility, materials, products, components and systems cannot be fully "Approved". These particular products have generic approvals to provide clients and ABS with pre-approvals of products that will help to reduce back logs and expedite final approvals.

Final approval is given when an Engineer or Surveyor accepts the assessed item for a specific user and installation. Therefore, the PDAs are written assuming that the end user and installation of the product is unknown, and that the manufacturer may or may not apply for a Manufacturing Assessment.