The company I work for uses a variety of fasteners. Both inch and metric series. Every so often someone asks why we use both and can't use just "standard". We use both because some of our outside purchased assemblies mount using metric fasteners. Some of these fasteners we buy, others some with the assemblies.
I would love to see the mess end and have us use only metric fasteners. But there is one big problem: They are much more expensive. Not just a little bit, but a lot. Sometimes 10 times more. I was looking to see what we pay for a "basket" of both inch and metric fasteners and was shocked at how much more they cost. Whereas inch fasteners may cost 1~2 cents a piece, metric fasteners can be about 8~10 cents for the equivalent. I checked internet sources and saw what we are paying is somewhat of an average, even though some companies sell for a few cents less. Yet, I have not seen one of the fasteners we buy in the same price range as the inch ones. Does anyone here also use metric fasteners in their work? How do they justify the high cost? With the high cost of metric fasteners, what is the incentive for any American company to convert? If the costs were at least comparable, metric could have a chance. But with metric much more expensive, there is no chance. Even when speaking with vendors, just the mention of the millimetre even as vaguely as saying "I need to shorten this length by about a millimetre", results in a lecture on how metric will double the cost. So, has anyone else ever experienced this and if so, how does one handle it?
