Rejection of imports can work both ways. A rejection of exports from the US because they aren't metric can backfire and the US can just as easily reject exports from any country that doesn't produce in English units. How many countries that you know of would accept their products being rejected by the US?
Jerry ________________________________ From: Pat Naughtin <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 3:08:55 PM Subject: [USMA:43168] Re: Action: Economic Stimulus Package On 2009/02/22, at 4:12 AM, <[email protected]> <[email protected]> wrote: Rejection of exports from the US in a global trade war could make Congress more interested in metrication, to more completely promote global measurement standards (i.e. SI). This, of course, does concern the wealth of corporations and nations (money as you put it). ---- Original message ---- Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:26:26 -0800 (PST) From: Jeremiah MacGregor <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:43114] Re: Action: Economic Stimulus Package To: "U.S.. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Cc: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> ... What other then money would make the US Congress interested in metric conversion now if they haven't shown an interest in 200 years? Dear Gene and All, Here are some extracts from a NIST paper. While they give the figures for the number of jobs attached to '$1 billion in merchandise exports' they don't give an estimate of how much not being metric costs the USA each year. As far as I know my estimate is the only one that I have been able to find, see http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/CostOfNonMetrication.pdf A Question-and-Answer and Thematic Discussion (NISTIR 5463) June 1994 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Technology Administration National Institute of Standards and Technology Metric Program Technology Services Gaithersburg, MD 20899 Gary P. Carver U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Ronald H. Brown, Secretary TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION Mary L. Good, Under Secretary for Technology NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY Arati Prabhakar, Director ABSTRACT The logic for use of the metric system in the United States is strongest when metric use is viewed as an element of our national economic infrastructure, as an investment in efficiency, and as a necessity for international competitiveness. KEYWORDS Exports, global markets, international trade, metric, metric conversion, metric system, metric transition, metrication, standards, trade. Why use the metric system? By encouraging use of the metric system in U.S. trade and commerce, the Federal Government is helping U.S. industry gain advantages that will benefit the entire Nation.Exports have been responsible for most of our domestic economic growth in recent years. Exports are important for U.S. workers because each $1 billion in merchandise exports supports almost 20,000 jobs, over seventy million Americans work in export-related jobs, and export-related jobs have higher than average pay. U.S. exports must compete in foreign markets where quality, cost effectiveness, and reliability are defined by international standards, including the metric system—which is the international standard for measurement. By converting to use of the metric system in trade and commerce, U.S. industry can make its products more acceptable to foreign customers.Our metric products will sell more easily in export markets, and that will lead to greater economic growth and more jobs in the United States. What are the advantages of metric use for U.S. industry? U.S. industry will gain increased access to growing world markets and a resulting increased ability to export, and it will benefit from improved efficiency and greater competitiveness, by using the metric system. Improvements in efficiency and competitiveness can result from the use of the same product standards for both domestic and foreign markets, the standardization of parts and part sizes, the ability to maintain smaller inventories, and the inherent simplicity of the metric system. These advantages will help U.S. industry to gain an even larger share of world markets and create even more new high-quality jobs. What are the national benefits of metric use? The entire Nation will benefit from the metric-driven economic expansion of U.S. industry, as well as from the creation of new jobs.In addition, the Nation will benefit from eliminating inefficiency in business and daily life that is caused by use of two different systems of measurement units. By adopting the metric system as the preferred system, education and training can be improved, especially mathematics and science education. This is one of the President's goals. What has been the experience of U.S. firms that have converted? Business enterprises that converted to the metric system usually ended up saving money. Frequently, metric conversion has been a means of standardizing and reducing the number of sizes of supplies and parts. Some U.S. companies that converted experienced increases in sales to unexpected new customers, particularly foreign-owned companies operating in the United States. Some companies reported lower costs from fewer mistakes and less rework because switching to decimal metric units simplified their work. Why can't domestic industries stay non-metric? Domestic industries that ignore global realities and continue to use non-metric measures will find that they risk increasing their costs. They risk limiting themselves to a smaller pool of non-metric supplier firms, paying more for nonstandard parts and materials, and having to readjust or recalibrate metric equipment from other industries to non-metric specifications. Non-metric modular products and those that interface with outside-industry products are especially vulnerable to the added costs of adapting to a metric environment. Even in non-metric domestic-only industries, metric standards are beginning to appear because national standards are being "harmonized" or brought into agreement with metric international standards. What is influencing U.S. industries to be metric? Most U.S. industries that do business abroad are already predominantly metric due to global sourcing of parts, service, components, and production. The remaining non-metric U.S. industries are increasing their metric use for selected products and activities, or are being influenced by metrication in other industries. Also, federal agency use of the metric system is encouraging firms that do business with the government to use the metric system. How would education benefit with the metric system? The biggest benefit would come in mathematics. Because there would be no need to spend as much classroom time on cumbersome conversions among units and on manipulating fractions, students could spend more time on learning mathematics. Converting to metric use will also provide an opportunity to improve the entire mathematics curriculum and to use a simpler system of units throughout the educational program. Upon entering the work force, graduates would be better prepared to make metric products for the global marketplace and to provide metric services that can be more easily exported. Why can't we keep using two measurement systems? It is much more efficient for business enterprises, industries, and nations to use a single measurement system instead of two.For firms, using two measurement systems usually means two sets of tools, parts, and product specifications, as well as repeated conversions among units. It leads to higher overhead costs, such as when separate catalogs and package labels with metric units must be used for products sold overseas. Using two measurement systems industry-wide multiplies the inefficiencies suffered by individual firms. It adds uncertainty and potential confusion to industry standards and marketing, and it may lead to habitual unit conversions. Nationally, consumers face added difficulties in comparison shopping because of the variety of units. Also, many people, businesses, and organizations need two sets of tools. Why do U.S. exports have to be metric? Many of our products that are still not metric are not readily exportable. In effect, we are imposing a trade barrier on our own goods. International standards and the regulations of regional trading blocs require metric units for measurements because the metric system is the international standard of measurement. More importantly, customers in other nations have grown up with the metric system of measurement. Foreign customers are familiar with and expect—usually prefer—products made to metric measures. They are neither familiar nor comfortable with U.S. pints and ounces and inches and pounds. On the shelves of shops in other nations, our inch-pound products are at a disadvantage.In today's highly competitive world markets, any disadvantage quickly translates to lost sales and fewer exports.This inevitably leads to less domestic economic growth, fewer new jobs, and a lower standard of living than we could otherwise enjoy. Why is the Federal Government involved? The 1988 amendments to the Metric Conversion Act direct federal agencies to convert programs relating to trade, industry, and commerce to the metric system. The strategy is to use federal procurement, financial assistance, and other business-related activities to encourage and help U.S. firms to convert voluntarily to the metric system. The Act allows exceptions to federal metric use to avoid unintended harm to U.S. firms. For example, federal agencies are not required to use the metric system if it is "impractical or likely to cause significant inefficiencies or loss of markets to United States firms." Another reason for government involvement is that just like energy, transportation, and telecommunications, our national measurement system is an important element of our economic infrastructure. Therefore, it is appropriate that the Federal Government has the Constitutional power to "fix the standards of weights and measures." When it amended the Metric Conversion Act,Congress declared as U.S. policy that the metric system is the preferred system of weights and measures for trade and commerce. What can Government leadership accomplish? Federal Government leadership and commitment can remove the remaining uncertainties about metric conversion and bring the “big picture” national benefits into focus. Many non-metric firms are willing to convert. However, they are looking to the Government to make it clear to their suppliers, customers, and competitors that the time has come to convert the entire Nation to metric usage. When the Government makes metric conversion a national priority, the business community will see the long-term benefits in efficiency and international trade deriving from metric conversion as economic issues it can support. Similarly, when the Government makes a visible commitment to metric conversion and explains the economic necessity, the public will understand the educational, economic, and competitive benefits, and will accept an orderly adoption of the metric system. If metric conversion is good for business, why don't we let the free enterprise system decide? By working with industry on metrication, federal agencies found no major barriers to the conversion of non-metric U.S. industries. However, the federal agencies also found that some firms believe that U.S. customers may be unwilling to use the metric system. In actual experience, U.S. customers readily accepted metric beverage containers, automobiles, nutrition labeling, vitamins, and track and field events. Some firms responded to a federal survey that they are unable to justify upfront investments in metric conversion because the benefits are diffuse and not immediate. Some said that they do not plan to convert because their current customers are not demanding metric products. Companies that do not export say that there is no need for them to change to metric units. Although such views may appropriately reflect individual firms' assessments of their business environment, they do not reflect the national 'big picture" economic benefits that can be gained from metric conversion. Also, such views do not reflect the hidden costs of using two measurement systems. Besides eliminating the costs of two measurement systems, the national benefits include removing the self-imposed trade barrier caused by a nonstandard measurement system. Based upon the positive experiences of firms and industries that have converted, the federal agencies have concluded that widespread metric use will yield long-term benefits that are beyond any one-time costs or inconveniences. If the federal agencies are converting to metric, isn't that enough? No matter how broad their national vision, the federal agencies cannot by themselves establish the metric system as the preferred system in trade and commerce.. They ultimately need the support of private industry and the public. It may be time for additional steps to move the Nation out of its dual-system comfort zone and to continue national progress toward preferred metric use. What are some of the next steps we could take? Some possible next steps might include: Greater Federal Government leadership and public articulation of the national vision. Actions to encourage a broad national exchange on metric conversion. Public forums to consider the interrelated interests and views of government, industry, and the public. A broadly based campaign to increase awareness of the economic issues related to metric use and the application of metric measures in daily life. Review and revision of existing non-metric regulations, standards, and legislation. Actions to identify and remove any impediments to metric use in industry and to minimize any potential adverse economic effects. Why do we need any next steps? Industry and the public may have reached a stable dependence on two measurement systems. The stability may be due to the perception that for the remaining non-metric activities, temporary costs for changing to predominant metric use exceed expected benefits. The perception arises partly because the continuing costs of inch-pound use are invisibly absorbed by current accounting methods and partly because our existing dual-measurement-system economy is passively accepted by the public. If the economic baseline were a more efficient single-system metric economy, then industry would see that short-term metric conversion costs are an investment that will reduce current costs and eventually provide a large return. Cultural attitudes will have to change to eliminate the inch-pound measurement system from our economy. Cheers, Pat Naughtin PO Box 305 Belmont 3216, Geelong, Australia Phone: 61 3 5241 2008 Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA. Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST, and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com for more metrication information, contact Pat at [email protected] or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters..com/newsletter to subscribe.
