Jim Elwell's post regarding the terminal design issue made me stop and think of the larger question: how have the recently metricated countries (Canada, Australia, South Africa) dealt with the problem of fasteners? We in the United States have erected a complex society full of equipment based upon our own jealously inspired units of measurement, and the prospect of US metrication suggests to me that there will be a constant struggle (and a great market for expertise!) to solve numerous problems in this regard, and that the US struggle will be similar to the ones now being endured by Canadians, Australians, and South Africans. What do you think?
Paul Trusten, R.Ph.
I suspect that the United States is more advanced than Canada in switching to metric fasteners. The automobile industry, the agricultural machine industry, and the business machine industry (certainly IBM) went metric over 20 years ago because their products are exported world wide. General Motors expected that their cost of going metric would be many millions of dollars. After the event they found they had actually saved money by reducing the variety of fastners.
I imagine that the main cost of the change fell on garages across the country because they had to buy new sets of wrernches.
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Joseph B. Reid
17 Glebe Road West
Toronto M5P 1C8 Telephone 416-486-6071
