[USMA:29924] Re: Metric in the States

[MightyChimp]

Ask those very same people about buying gasoline in litres, hearing metric weather forecasts, buying deli items in grams and kilograms (and I mean having to ask for amounts in metric), driving down metric signed roads, etc.  and see how many of those "metricated" people would agree to further metrication.   Yes, it may be old hat as far as fasteners are concerned, but that does not translate into a broad acceptance of metric by these people elsewhere in the economy.    Brigs and Stratton changed because they may not have had a choice.  I'm sure it wasn't because they thought the metric system was better.  It might have been as simple as wanting to produce the engine outside of the US and the foreign company doing the job wouldn't have the American parts to do it.  Or maybe they had are having a hard time securing non-metric fasteners for their type of product as all other users are already metric.    But for whatever the reason don't feel that the employees of the company who may now be getting use to metric drawings and metric parts in the shop are all of a sudden going to get a warm fuzzy feeling about buying consumer products in anything but "good olde 'merican".    Euric     ----- Original Message ----- From: john mercer To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Sunday, 2004-05-23 12:08 Subject: [USMA:29922] Metric in the States Hello I would like to comment on some of the things that Chimp says about metric in the States.  There are many!! people in the States that use metric every day of their lives. I speek of mechanics in the auto industry who work on North American built cars.  I have an interest in small gasoline engines and was on a forum and received an e mail from an automotive instructor in the States who has been teaching automotive mechanics for over 30 years.  I asked him what it was like when the North American auto industry changed to metric fasteners, he said it was frustrating at first but now it's old hat.  People in the medical field use metric every day.  People that design cars in North America design them in metric.  Yes there isn't as much metric for the average American as there is even in Canada, but to say that Americans couldn't learn it is not right.  Canadians learned the metric system as far as it has come, and we are no different than the Americans or British.  I get really annoied with people in marketing who say customers can't understand metric.  Brigs and Stratton changed the fasteners on one of their engines from standard to metric on Jul. 1 2003 and their is talk of them changing fasteners on more of their engines.  Thank you very much everybody for letting me ramble on.  John Mercer.