Going metric pays off

A common question is, What are the benefits of going metric? Following are reprints of some articles from Metric Today and other sources with experiences of some companies.

Although not new, these stories describe metric transitions that paid off. In most cases the short-term costs of metrication were offset by the longer-term benefits of using a single measurement system.

Conversion experiences in the chemical sector:
Cyanamid, DuPont save thousands annually

Cyanamid Canada

Excerpted from “A Case Study on the Cost-Benefit Relationship in Metrication in a Canadian Multi-Product Company,” by E. Nelson Vrooman, Cyanamid Canada.

Cyanamid Canada Incorporated is a subsidiary of American Cyanamid Company. Our product line in Canada includes five major segments: agricultural products, pharmaceutical and surgical products, industrial chemicals, laminated building products and consumer products.

Based on careful analysis of what records are available in the various departments, minutes of meetings, requests for capital funds, etc., the total cost of the program has been $400,000: $180,000 in “non-cash costs” (time spent in training seminars, time spent by employees planning metric conversion programs, etc.) and $220,000 in “cash” or out-of-pocket costs (new plant equipment, travel and living expenses directly related to metric, etc.)

One tangible benefit has been reported to date, and that is a reduction in costs of bagged materials, primarily fertilizer products. Savings from this project are estimated at $60,000 per year. Thus, the total savings over the four year span of the program amount to $240,000, which amounts to 110 percent of our cash costs over the same time frame.

Here is the major problem we encountered in the conversion program. It is fine to say that 98 percent of the world’s population uses the metric system and that all of the industrialized countries of the world use the metric system except one — if that one happens to be your major trading partner, it creates a problem.

We, in Canada, are confident that the actions taken by the federal and state agencies in the U.S., by trade associations, by many large and prominent multinational companies, and by educators all working through the American National Metric Council, will soon forge a metric policy for the entire nation.

DuPont

(Excerpted from “Metrication of the Neoprene Package,” by E. P. Torpey, DuPont Company.)

Neoprene is a synthetic rubber manufactured by DuPont. By the mid-1960’s overseas customers, particularly in Europe, began asking for metric weight packages (of neoprene). So in 1968 we changed our export neoprene package from a 5-ply, 50-pound package to a 5-ply, 25-kilogram package.

Better education and savings would result from schools’ teaching only metric

A transition to metric usage in the U.S. would be a major factor in correcting the poor performance shown by U.S. students in math and science, according to an article in the February 1996 Evaluation Review, by Richard P. Phelps, a consultant to the Education Consumers Clearinghouse. Phelps’ study shows that the current practice of teaching two systems of measurement in U.S. schools wastes time and is very costly. The use of the metric system is mandatory for working in many key professions such as medicine, science, and engineering; therefore, metric must be included in the curricula. However, there is no overwhelming need to use inch-pound units in daily lives because metric units can easily be substituted.

In the article, Phelps’ conclusions are reached by examining three methods of teaching measurement. He calculates the net benefits of each system by development of quantitative measures of benefits and costs, then compares the results. His research shows that teaching solely metric system measurement could save 82 days of mathematical instruction-time annually and would provide a yearly $17,653 million in savings to U.S. education. The time and funds gained could be used to teach more math, giving students better skills, and increasing their scores in international mathematics tests. [Presently, the U.S. ranks 13th out of 17 countries on international math tests given to 8th graders.] The current practice of trying to teach both metric and inch-pound usage is wasteful and unnecessary.

The author lists a number of practical reasons why teaching only metric measurement would greatly benefit U.S. education. One example: In learning inch-pound measurements [for length, capacity, and weight (mass)], the student must memorize 21 names and 18 conversion ratios, versus needing only to remember 9 names and 2 conversion ratios for metric measurements. Therefore, time is saved in teaching only metric measurement, and students can make metric calculations with greater facility and fewer errors.

Phelps used the Addison-Wesley Mathematics series as a basis for his calculations to determine instructional-time, and used data from the U.S. Dept. of Education to calculate dollar amounts of education costs. The article also reviews background and current status of U.S. conversion. He makes the provocative suggestion, based on his calculations, that the dollar savings from teaching only the metric system in schools would pay, many times over, for converting all U.S. highway signs to metric. Evaluation Review is a Journal of Applied Social Research and is published in the U.S. by Sage Publications Inc.

Firm sees savings in costs, sizes

Anderton Darby, Inc., a manufacturer of products including retaining rings, pliers, dispensers, and applicators is a U.S. subsidiary of an international organization based in England.

The organization has done business in Europe for the last 25 years and is already geared to the metric market. Currently [in 1974, when this was written], about 50% of the company's total production is in metric dimensions.

With regard to the cost projections, Anderton Darby has established that producing exclusively in metric dimensions will save not only in direct production cost but also in inventory volume and maintenance of machinery — the total number of tools would decrease to about 35% of the present number. In other words, says Sales Administrator John Quistorff, internationally accepted metric standards would be a great advantage.

Xerox and the Metric System

Courtesy of Xerox Corporation

The old (top) and new, 2008 Xerox logo.

In the 1960s Xerox began marketing its products outside the U.S., first in Europe and later in Japan. At the time, it engineered and manufactured its products in the U.S., but in the 1970s it became apparent that regional design and manufacturing in various countries would offer economic and political advantages. This required the use of multinational designs, and a process called “conversion engineering” was used, involving the redesign of products to accommodate each country’s requirements, including materials and processes. Part of conversion engineering involved units: Products designed in Europe using the metric system were converted to inches for U.S. manufacture, and products designed in the U.S. were converted to metric for manufacture outside the U.S.

Conversion engineering had an adverse impact on costs and schedules, due to the non-creative job of unit conversion for otherwise identical products made in different countries. With looming competition in xerography, it became obvious that Xerox could not live with the downside of its conversion engineering process, so it made a corporate decision to become a multinational design and manufacturing company. A major part of that decision was to adopt the metric system of measurement.

In the implementation stage, Xerox established its Multinational Engineering and Manufacturing System, of which the metric system was an integral part, coordinated by a newly formed Xerox Metrication Council. Starting in 1973, engineering teams developed and documented the processes by which products were to be designed and specified. Among aspects involving the metric system were design and drafting practices such as ISO limits and fits; preferred metric raw materials (sheet metal and bar stock sizes and tolerances); and components and hardware such as fasteners and bearings to match preferred metric shaft sizes.

Other particulars of metric conversion included machine tools retrofitted with digital instrumentation for both millimeter and inch readouts, and metric hand tools made available to model shops. When necessary, inch-based raw materials were machined to standard metric thicknesses. In other cases, materials were selected to meet metric standards. Initially the ISO R 10 series of preferred numbers was used for standard metric sizes. Some tolerances were opened up to accommodate not only U.S. gage sizes but European and Japanese standards.

After 1975, all new products manufactured by Xerox in the U.S. were made to hard metric specifications, to match the metric specifications used elsewhere in the world. Because a complete conversion to metric units too quickly would have been impractical and expensive, some dual-dimensioning was initially necessary for communication internally and with U.S. suppliers. Xerox followed the practice used by Caterpillar Tractor (covered in the previous article in this series) by providing a conversion chart with each drawing. Eventually, once metric standards were completely established and adopted in the 1980s, conversion information was no longer needed, resulting in fewer cost and time penalties incurred by the use of dual units; only metric dimensions were specified on engineering drawings. Suppliers could convert drawings internally if they wished, but all process controls and final inspection is always metric.

Courtesy of Xerox Corporation

Xerox won the 1989 Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award.

Training in the metric system started in the mid 1970s and included books and charts from the U.S. Metric Association. Xerox’s supplier base was also reduced to 400 from 3000, reducing the effort needed to train their suppliers in metric requirements.

The metric system is routine today at Xerox and has minimal impact, even in the U.S. Errors associated with metric conversions are past history. The advantages of metric measurements were obvious. Metric units minimized conversion engineering (or re-engineering) problems, those involved in designing products in one country and manufacturing in other countries. Worldwide purchasing was facilitated, increasing competition and reducing costs, as well as providing opportunities for better quality and more timely delivery. A standardization opportunity was also provided for piece parts, components, and raw materials, in that a new (metric) system was adopted. A company does not often have the opportunity to “start over again.”

As proof of their success, in 1989 Xerox was awarded the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, in only the second year of the award program. The annual award recognizes U.S. organizations for their achievements in quality and performance and raises awareness about the importance of quality and performance excellence as a competitive edge.

Material for this article came from various articles about Xerox’s metrication.

Indiana Firm to Pursue Metrication

Front of Hadady Corporation’s manufacturing plant in Dyer, Indiana, where USMA member Jim Frysinger recently assisted in initiating the company’s metrication process.

Hadady Corporation of Dyer, Indiana, has decided to begin metrication of some of its manufacturing processes. James R. Frysinger, LCAMS, owner of the metrication consulting firm, Metric Methods, has been selected by Hadady, a maker of precision-manufactured parts, to provide guidance in metric education and in the planning of the changeover. Frysinger visited Hadady’s 1.4 ha manufacturing plant during the week beginning 1 August 2005, to meet the staff of the company and begin work.

With increasing regularity, Hadady’s dealings with its customers now involves products with metric specifications. This, and the realization, much of it coming from its U.S. customers, that the U.S. continues to metricate, convinced Hadady CEO Jane Sullivan to initiate the transition of some company operations to the metric system for the sake of economic efficiency and competitiveness.

Frysinger’s consultancy to Hadady came about as the result of recommendations from what he described as “multiple sources . . . including one from folks I have never known.”

Located about 50 km south of Chicago, Hadady (pronounced “HAH-da-dee”) offers a diverse product line for industrial, mass transit, and railroad applications. Examples of products made at the Dyer facility are marine diesel engines and locomotive wheel trucks (also called “bogies” in the UK). Machining and welding are the plant’s primary manufacturing processes.

During his visit, Frysinger divided his work between mapping out the company’s metrication process and training workers in the metric system. With his help, the stages of metrication and the steps involved in bringing that about were discussed and disseminated to the staff. Along with Hadady Director of Human Resources Bruce Schooler, Frysinger organized the company into training classes, and provided training to each group according to its role in planning, production, and support of metric production lines. Training materials from USMA augmented the detailed instructional literature that he wrote and provided in booklet form. Engineers and a few others were involved in discussions on unit conversions, but other workers received training that emphasized familiarity with the SI system of units and prefixes, and also on re-scaling prefixed units (moving decimal points to account for unit prefix changes).

Thermometer mounted on wall near Hadady employee locker room and lunch area promotes use of Celsius temperature only.

On the broad theme of metrication at Hadady, Frysinger emphasized that the U.S. is metricating “from the bottom up,” and that the process is being driven by commerce. He also stressed to Hadady employees the USMA principle of “think in metric and do in metric,” as opposed to thinking in non-metric and then converting to metric units. The need for this method was demonstrated in an unusual way by a Hadady worker in one of the metrication classes. The worker was asked to read the temperature indicated by the Celsius-only thermometer on a wall in the classroom. The man, from a country outside the U.S., nevertheless attempted to mentally convert the reading from Celsius to Fahrenheit, but without success. Apparently, he was used to associating metric units with Spanish and non-metric units with English. Suddenly, a co-worker told him in Spanish, “Don’t convert! Just read the temperature in degrees Celsius, like normal!” That illustrative moment was part of an otherwise busy learning period, during which Hadady staff members had a chance to orient themselves to SI by measuring their heights, masses, fingernails, thumbs, and hands in metric units.

Frysinger came away from the meeting with a most favorable impression of his new metrication client. He stated, “The close, personal communications and the cooperative efforts that take place throughout the entire company stand out clearly as being major reasons that this company is successful.” With great pleasure, he noted the openness, hospitality, and strong work ethic that he encountered at all levels of Hadady. The workers were enthusiastic about the metric training they received, and looked forward to the new production procedures. Frysinger is confident that the company will achieve metrication smoothly and successfully.

Metrication Celebrations Are In Order at Eastman Kodak Co.

In 1998, Eastman Kodak Company began a concentrated initiative toward achieving the utilization of only one system of measurement: SI metric. Since some pockets of the company were already metric, and Kodak had realized the substantial benefits of being metric at that time, the company made the commitment to take full advantage of metrication benefits across all operations.

A corporate policy was put into place requiring all new products, processes, and systems to be metric. Bob Burkowski, Corporate Metrication Leader, noted, “We are incorporating the use of metric units into our training processes, our operations, and our product design and manufacturing. SI, the international system of metric measurement, is a key ingredient in obtaining six sigma quality worldwide.”

Benefits of worldwide trade to be gained from metrication

Charles P. Goslee, Eastman Kodak Vice President (left) discusses Kodak’s metric conversion with USMA President Lorelle Young.

Charles P. Goslee, Kodak Vice President, Chief Quality Officer, and one of the primary sponsors of the metrication program, stated, “Using the system of measure the rest of the world is using becomes a must for a global company to effectively operate and realize the many benefits of global parts sourcing, service, componentry, and to have the ability to technically exchange information on a common measurement basis around the world.”

The Kodak conversion strategy was based upon learning from the experiences of others who had converted to metric usage, focusing on applying it to new products, processes, and systems. Training, which is underway, is being executed on a just-in-time (JIT) basis, concentrating on which metric training is needed for specific employees and when it is best to supply that training. Metric implementation tactics followed the product/process life cycle beginning with marketing, research and development, process design, etc. Early advantage was taken of networking and benchmarking with the company's colleagues in France and England, using their metric experience and know-how.

Metrication teams receive positive reinforcement

A key ingredient of the Eastman Kodak metrication program was inauguration of a positive reinforcement plan for employee accomplishment in the conversion process. Both individual and team accomplishments were recognized. This plan is based upon one of the company’s six stated values: recognition and celebration. Many companies have found over the past years that converting from the comfortable use of familiar units to (in many cases) a less familiar measuring system can be a really significant challenge to those making the changeover. Therefore, to celebrate and praise the correct behaviors and milestones achieved during the company’s metrication journey, positive reinforcement is being utilized, via the use of celebration meetings.

Kodak’s most recent metrication progress celebration took place at the end of 1999 and was a “fun” time. Accomplishments of the metrication team, along with the sub-teams and coordinator teams, were recognized. Team members received blue denim button-down shirts with the Kodak logo alongside the wording “Metrication Team.” A video from Kodak foreign-site team members was shown. The video praised the U.S. conversion accomplishments and included a teamwork song.

Bob Burkowski, Kodak’s Corporate Metrication Leader (left), receiving Federal Highway Administration Metricube from USMA President Young. Both are wearing the blue denim shirts which feature the Kodak metrication logo.

USMA President Lorelle Young was invited to this metric-progress celebration as a speaker, and reports that she was impressed with the enthusiasm shown in making the metric transition. During her speech, she informed the attendees: “The way you have attacked this challenge and capitalized on this metrication opportunity to streamline all designs, standards, and manufacturing processes will translate into greater competitiveness and most importantly, will result in enhanced customer satisfaction. USMA is proud to have been a part of this important achievement.”

Eastman Kodak’s metric conversion process strongly promotes standardization. Metrication is considered an opportunity to achieve global standardization, and full advantage is taken of the metric changeover to attain that goal. During this process, company standards and specifications are cleaned up, simplified, and improved. Through standardization, the company is reducing the number of different items it buys, inventories, and repairs. This use of fewer items (but greater quantities of those used) means real dollar savings. The use of common measurement units provides an opportunity for substantial savings which result from reduced waste, process simplification, and standardization.

Metrication at Caterpillar Tractor

Caterpillar Tractor Company's old logo. In 1986 the company changed its name to Caterpillar Inc. to more accurately reflect its growing diversity.

Caterpillar Tractor Company began to metricate its U.S. plants in 1971, shortly after publication of the U.S. Metric Study—A Metric America: A Decision Whose Time Has Come—that had been commissioned by Congress. As a multinational operation, Caterpillar was convinced that going metric was in its best interest. With plants in many countries, it was already involved in the expensive task of converting inch drawings from the U.S. to metric for non-U.S. operations. The company's chief standards engineer summed up the decision: “The longer we wait to go (metric), the more costly and difficult it will be.”

To make all new designs with dimensions in millimeters, coordination among departments within Caterpillar was important. However, Caterpillar decided not to force its suppliers to go metric. The company developed a computer program to convert dimensions for suppliers requiring inch measurements, giving suppliers time to adjust. Although some were initially surprised at Caterpillar’s conversion, suppliers have since converted to metric.

Training was needed, especially for design engineers, and generally consisted of a two-hour session. The net cost of this training was effectively zero, because overseas engineers were no longer going through the costly conversion of inch designs.

Caterpillar is a strong advocate of metric education. The company's employment application forms query applicants on their knowledge of the metric system, and Caterpillar’s major presence in Peoria, Illinois, led the city's school district to teach the metric system almost exclusively.

Actual costs for going metric were much lower than the initial cost estimates because Caterpillar did not have to replace tools, gauges, and measuring equipment. In addition, plant disruptions were almost non-existent. Dual dimensioning allowed the use of existing designs and equipment. Step by step, soft conversion of old designs progressed to hard conversion as new products were introduced. Over time, the attrition of non-metric designs created a predominantly metric operation.

Caterpillar found that adopting metric sizes for steel, particularly sheet and plate steel, reduced inventory and costs. A 54% saving was achieved by replacing 74 non-metric sheet and plate steel sizes by 34 metric sizes. Over 500 flat bar sizes were replaced by fewer than 200 metric sizes. Most of these changes took place over a three-year period, with surprisingly few exceptions.

Caterpillar chose metric drill sizes already used in Europe, because they provided a better choice of drill sizes and thread choices in some sizes. This change did not increase costs. However, Caterpillar continues to use some ISO inch fasteners for its U.S. operations.

One aspect of Caterpillar’s metrication was its aim at influencing international standards. This was accomplished by working with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to provide American input to the standards-making process.

The benefits of metric conversion at Caterpillar included elimination of redesign in overseas plants; reduction in the number of sizes, resulting in fewer and larger steel orders, as well are reduced steel inventory; improved design selection resulting from a more logical sequence of sizes; and cost reductions of between $900,000 and $1,000,000 a year!

In summary, Caterpillar realized that the cost of conversion was minimal and would not have been lower had they put it off until later. The company feels that its customers and users have likewise reaped benefits from its gains in going metric. In the end, Caterpillar achieved the goals of making its products more salable worldwide, improving standardization and design, and reducing its production costs.

Note: Material for this article came from various articles about Caterpillar’s conversion to metric.

The General Motors Metric Story

In 1973 General Motors Corporation (GM) announced its plan to go metric. Metric conversion had been under consideration for some time, but was thought to be too costly as recently as 1967. That, however, changed as automobile manufacturing became more international in nature.

The GM plan included four basic components, outlined in a press release at the time:

1. New product development will be metric from the start. This includes items already in the development stage.

4. While metrication is being accomplished, some capital equipment (tools and machinery) with dual measuring capability will be required.

To minimize conversion costs, GM decided to metricate only when a machine or part was due for replacement. That replacement was specified in metric units, resulting in little or no additional cost.

Suppliers were informed of the decision to metricate specifications and design. Of the 40,000 suppliers at the time, little if any resistance was encountered, because purchasers at GM were willing to work with suppliers to overcome any problems.

Metrication was accompanied by a reduction in the number of sizes required for any given part. A good example of such rationalization was fan belts, where more than 900 old sizes were reduced to fewer than 100 new sizes. Because of the need for replacement parts, an enormous warehousing operation is needed, and by reducing the number of parts, the costs associated with part proliferation can be reduced. Through this rationalization GM was able to recoup its conversion costs and turn them into profit.

Similarly, the number of steel sizes were reduced by deliberately designing a logical progression of sizes, and fewer of them, during metrication. This process was extended into many areas, so that small costs associated with going metric were more than made up through rationalization.

In another example, the switch to metric standard wire sizes permitted the use of fewer sizes to adequately cover GM's needs. This more efficient wire use alone produced a cost reduction of more than $1.6 million annually, a savings in a single division that exceeded the company’s annual metrication costs, with benefits that continued far into the future.

Training was expected to be costly, but only 10–15% of GM employees required training, and that training took less time than originally predicted. Sometimes as little as an hour was sufficient, because training was tailored to the needs of each job. GM summarized its training philosophy as: Teach only those who need to know, only what they need to know, and only when they need to know it.

GM chose dual units when dealing with the public, rather than the metric-only goal for its operations. As a result, of course, some customers are unaware of the metric transition that took place at GM and in the rest of the automobile industry. Some consumers still think American cars and trucks are non-metric, not realizing that the automobile industry changed long ago to reap the benefits of a single measurement system.

Material for this article came from various articles written about the GM conversion to metric, both in published literature as well as in past metric newsletters.

Metric is good move at Brown & Sharpe

From the November 1983 issue of the American National Metric Council's Metric Reporter.

More than 40 percent of the products designed and sold by Brown and Sharpe Manufacturing Company of N. Kingstown, RI, are designed in hard metric, thanks to a corporate policy established in the early 1970s and maintained today. “Our impetus to use metric came from a desire to be in a position to design products both (domestically) and for overseas subsidiaries so we wouldn’t have to fight back and forth in two measurement systems,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Donald A. Roach in an interview with the Metric Reporter. “In addition, we had a strong belief that our international customers would be better served if we designed our products in metric.”

Brown and Sharpe designs and manufactures machine tools and precision instruments. Metric design, which is used in all new products, has been a key to increased sales opportunities and has simplified corporate communications, Roach said. “Being able to produce metric items has enhanced our ability to export and improved coordination between our overseas and domestic operations,” he said.

Brown and Sharpe has an ongoing metric training program for all new employees with individual divisions tailoring training to employee needs. Thus, metric training can be incorporated into basic employee orientation to simplify training efforts.

The cost of transition and the difficulties in making the changeover have been “far less than anticipated,” Brown said. There is no tracking system for specific cost benefits since the company has a strong commitment to metric and considers metric design and production as part of the regular order of business.

“I believe in using metric,” Roach said. “Since we are a manufacturer of both metric and (inch/pound) machine tools, we stand to benefit as the industry makes its transition. We decided to assume leadership in those efforts and will continue to do so.”

Small-business entrepreneur John Robinson

CEO John Robinson, who founded Black Diamond Enterprises Ltd in 1976, says that going metric has helped improve operations at his manufacturing plant, in addition to providing the means to seek export customers. The company manufactures high quality stainless steel carts, shelving, and sinks for the food service, health care, and high-tech industries. McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Denny’s, Giant foods, Hardy’s, and the U.S. Navy Research Lab are a few examples of the types of customers the firm services.

Black Diamond Enterprises is located in Easton PA, and Robinson, who is a USMA lifetime member, has been involved in a number of prestigious business groups and seminars. The most recent was his election as chairman of the DC Delegation to the White House Conference on Small Business. This group developed a list of recommendations for enhancing small-business operations and the economy, which were forwarded to President Clinton. It also arranged for a 10-member delegation that visited Russia last September to get first-hand knowledge on the experiences and challenges that small business owners face in the [Russian] developing economy.

Robinson said, “This program was an outgrowth of the late Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown’s efforts. It gave U.S. small businessmen a chance to share [with their counterparts in Russia] strategies open to small business for creating jobs and helping a nation’s economy grow. I am honored and pleased to have been a part of this first DC Small Business Delegation’s mission for helping strengthen relationships between the future leaders and businesses of America and Russia.”

During an interview with USMA President Lorelle Young, Robinson provided some very interesting comments:

Robinson: No. While it was a prime factor, the major factor was learning the inherent advantages of this simple measurement system, and the fact that the metric system is the international measurement system of the future. Presently, exporting takes only a small part of company production.

Robinson: Because the metric system is easy to use, it is easier to train employees, so saves time and money. I have had experiences where new employees had major problems doing their jobs where the use of fractions was involved, but their work is performed more easily and correctly when using metric units. Changing to metric production also helped to set my company up for exporting, and it facilitates communication with foreign customers.

Robinson: Occasionally, new employees were trained on the job. But I also took advantage of excellent worker training programs available from the state of Maryland and NIST.

Young: Were there problems to overcome when you made the transition to metric system production, particularly in getting metric parts and equipment?

Robinson: In addition to savings in training employees and expediting operations, going metric definitely expands a company’s markets, contributing to increased profits.

Young: I understand your company is known for its top quality production. Why, then, are you now in the process of preparing for ISO 9000 certification, which is based on quality?

Robinson: I feel that quality improvement should be an on-going effort, and ISO 9000 offers excellent guidelines for developing a company’s ability to conform to the highest standards of design, quality, and reliability. It also can help in sales to European Union and other foreign nations.

Robinson: I’d inform them that manufacturing to metric units will make it easier to train employees, particularly those with minimum education; and metrication can help expedite a company’s operations. It also can increase profits, through exports. Businesses need to look ahead to determine where changes may occur and should plan ahead. One way to build up business is to check export opportunities. For example, Russia offers rich opportunities for American business, and I feel it soon will be the second biggest world economy, after the USA.

The metric payoff

From the November-December 1996 issue of Metric in Construction, published by the Construction Metrication Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences.

What is the “payoff” for metric conversion? The answer is different for each organization or industry, but it can be estimated by calculating metrication costs and benefits. Costs include all the “up front” costs of conversion, including administrative and technical time, paperwork, supplies, and training. Some industries may have substantial sales and capital equipment costs as well.

Benefits include the dollar value of the long-term gains from metric conversion. These gains come from two principal sources: (1) increases in productivity and quality brought about by the use of a decimal-based measurement system, and (2) the ability to more effectively compete in world markets. Some estimate that for measurement-based activities such as construction, savings from productivity and quality alone can amount to 1 percent of construction costs; others believe the percentage is even higher. Regardless of the amount, the savings are perpetual.

For example, total metric conversion costs for the 50 state highway departments are estimated to lie between $50 and $100 million. The states spend about $20 billion on highway construction every year so a 1 percent reduction in construction costs due to improved productivity and quality amounts to an annual savings of $200 million. At the 1 percent rate, the payoff for highway conversion takes 3 to 6 months with a savings of 100 to $150 million the first year and $200 million each succeeding year. Even at a tenth of this rate, the payback period is only 30 to 60 months with savings in each following year amounting to $20 million in perpetuity.

For industry, the benefits of metrication as a passport to the global marketplace can far exceed productivity and quality gains, but each firm must assess its prospects based on the mix of products and services it provides. Some have been amazed at how metrication has increased sales; others have had to metricate just to retain market share. As Representative Vernon Ehlers of Michigan noted in Congressional testimony this year: it is not just how much we will gain by metrication, it is how much we have been losing by not switching to the world’s standard of measurement.

A parallel issue is the simultaneous retention of the inch-pound system in construction activities. The federal government soon will have about $25 billion in metric facilities entering the inventory each year, and it will become increasingly expensive to retain two measurement systems. We must, therefore, move completely to the metric system for all phases of the facility life cycle (i.e., design, construction, operations, and maintenance). The longer we delay in doing so, the fewer the benefits we receive from metrication.

Port proliferation solved: U.S. leads on ISO 6149 metric port

By Phillip Robinson, Vice President–Engineering, Fluid Connectors Group, Parker Hannifin Corp.

From the July-August 1995 Metric Reporter, published by the American National Metric Council.

Parker Hannifin, Tube Fittings Division

The bottom portion with the O-ring is an ISO 6149 male end. The groove distinguishes an ISO 6149 male end from a DIN 3852-1 male end, whose threads would appear to mate with an ISO 6149 port but would not seal properly.

For years, conventional wisdom held that the U.S. could have little, if any, influence over international standards. However, the fluid power industry's adoption of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 6149 Metric Straight Thread O-ring Port Connection has demonstrated that the U.S., working as a team, can indeed have a major impact on world standards.

The result of this move: significant benefits for the U.S. in particular and the world fluid power industry in general.

As defined by the industry, a port is an external opening on a valve body. Hydraulic components, such as pumps, valves, and cylinders, are connected to each other by tubing or hose through fittings that screw into these ports.

Costly chaos

Before ISO 6149 was adopted as the standard port, the world fluid power industry had been using dozens of non-interchangeable port designs. This proliferation of different kinds of ports increased costs, had a negative impact on service part deliveries, complicated maintenance, and reduced the perceived values of machinery. What's more, the U.S., with its own port styles, often was shut out of the world's markets.

This general state of chaos motivated the U.S. to lead the industry in adopting one international port standard. A key step came in 1988, when the U.S. passed the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act, which designated metric products as the official U.S. standard.

Soon after, Parker Hannifin Corp. led a Metric Summit, a 1989 gathering of 11 major mobile-equipment manufacturers. Participants convened to discuss the benefits of a standard port and recommend the best design features for the mating male fittings.

Agreed upon was the idea of one port for the whole world: the ISO 6149 metric port. Introduced in 1980, the port was a metric version of the SAE J-1926 straight thread port, a proven leak-free connection. What was missing: a common standard for the mating male connector.

A cooperative effort

Interacting cooperatively, the ISO working group members designed a standard connector to fit the port and had it thoroughly tested around the world for high-pressure hydraulic service. The new standard combined the lowest assembly torque requirement with an elastomer O-ring seal to eliminate leaks completely.

With outstanding cooperation from country delegates to this ISO working group, ISO 6149 quickly gained international acceptance. In 1990, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) issued a metric-only policy and included ISO 6149 (listed as SAE J2244) as its port of choice.

Several major U.S. “pacer companies” such as John Deere committed to ISO 6149. Additional Metric Summits organized by Parker in 1990 and 1993 continued the momentum. Further support came from the Big Three U.S. automakers, which adopted the port as standard on their new machine tool equipment, used in manufacturing.

Choice confirmed

Two recent, major developments have confirmed ISO 6149 as the world's port of choice:

• ISO 6149 is now listed in the specification itself as the only port to be used in new designs.

• Other ports still being manufactured now feature the disclaimer, “Not to be used for new designs.”

The benefits of this U.S.-led effort are now being felt. Trade barriers throughout the world are being overcome, leading to increased global business opportunities. True multinational production and servicing of equipment is now possible. Non-interchangeable port designs still in use worldwide, such as NPFT, BSPT, BSPP, DIN, and JIS, gradually are being eliminated.

Above all, manufacturers and customers are achieving leak-free hydraulic systems, because of the improved metric port design.

It is clear that a “wait and see” attitude by U.S. industry regarding metric is unfounded. The adoption of the ISO 6149 metric port proves that the U.S. can shape international standards to everyone's benefit — if it takes an active approach.

Minnesota screen printer finds using metric increases profitability

From the January-February 1994 issue of Metric Today.

An interesting article in the September 1993 issue of Screen Printing outlines the experiences of Kutzwald Inc., Lake Crystal, MN, in converting to metric system usage, which resulted in cost savings and better customer service.

Owner Jon Kutz, a USMA member, decided to begin a policy of going 100% metric, eliminating dual dimensioning to avoid errors, and selecting applicable ISO standards. Kutz states he is now about 90% metric and says: “Upcharge costs are offset by the significant time and scrap reduction that is possible through standardization. One example: With a single base size sheet for all materials, we save time in cutting the sheets and having to print on only three panel sizes.”

Going metric pays off: Buerk Tool & Machine

Dick Buerk, president of Buerk Tool & Machine Corporation, Buffalo, NY, which manufactures parts for the auto, food processing, health services, and other industries, states, “I found it limits your customer base if you can't produce goods to metric system dimensions, so going metric is good business practice.” He indicates that conversion to metric production at his plant was not via a specific plan to go metric. He just started responding to requirements of his customers, beginning with the first customer who placed a metric order. The result was an expanded customer base and better profits.

“Metric is not a mystery,” he notes. “It is almost impossible to buy a machine that doesn't give both metric and inch-pound readouts.” Buerk Tool employees work in both measurement systems to satisfy export and domestic markets, and they are a well-trained workforce. When asked about the costs of producing metric products, Buerk said, “The price of a product encompasses manufacturing costs, whether it is a metric or inch-pound product. I see no significant difference.” He states that, increasingly, it is becoming important for companies to be world-class manufacturers if they want to stay solvent. “If we don't export our products (or don't make them for the government), we make the parts for someone else who exports or is a government contractor. We must face the fact that most of the world is metric.”

Going metric pays off: Rotor Clip Company

Among the customers served by Rotor Clip Company Inc., Somerset, NJ, a major supplier of retaining rings and hose clamps, are the industries involved with business machines, automobiles, agriculture machines, and appliances. With conversion of the automotive industry to metric production, Rotor Clip installed metric tooling and now has diversified its company line so it competes well in the global marketplace.

Rotor Clip worked with ANSI in 1975 to develop a set of ANSI metric standards for retaining rings, and now has a capability to furnish government contractors with the required metric retaining rings and hose clamps. The company also has installed the tooling to produce German DIN (metric) retaining rings and components to meet customer preferences.

Robert Slass, president of Rotor Clip, states that his company meets customer demand, whether metric or inch products are involved. “We investigated customer needs,” he says, “and invested in $1.5 million worth of new tooling to expand our markets in Europe and Japan. This global marketing strategy has paid off well because we have earned the reputation of a world-class quality supplier, and are enjoying a spurt of unprecedented growth.”

Going metric pays off: Peavey Electronics

Peavey Electronics Corporation, Meridian, MS, exports to 103 countries. Owners Melia and Hartley Peavey note that some of the success of their ever-increasing export business is due to “not only giving customers high quality products, but producing the products in the metric units that those foreign customers use.”

The Peavey firm, which has 20 U.S. facilities, is the largest producer of musical instruments and sound equipment in the U.S., structuring the design of its products on SI metric units. The company adopted computer integrated manufacturing, resulting in lower operating costs and enhancement of competitiveness. Hartley Peavey states, “The growth of our company has been based on innovative technologies to create new products; on hiring quality people to produce our products; on helping our dealers with training programs and other support; and on adding the capability to manufacture with metric units.”

The company has established five inhouse classrooms for employee training based on determining and building talents of individuals. The company's excellent training program utilizes the Job Skills Education Program developed by the University of Florida. As a result of Peavey Electronics' outstanding training program, President Bush presented Hartley and Melia Peavey with the National Literacy Award at a White House ceremony in 1992.

Peavey Electronics' marketing strategy has been widespread, covering the global marketplace, thus increasing export sales. The owners worked with the Dept of Commerce to make inroads into the Japanese trade area and the company's success is shown in the fact that Peavey amplifiers are top-selling products in that country as well as in the United States.

Going metric pays off: Stride Tool

Lori Northrup, president of Stride Tool, Inc., Ellicottville, NY, says that the company went metric because (1) it wanted to serve the international marketplace, and (2) U.S. customers were increasingly requesting metric hand tools. Also, Stride sees an opportunity in the international market for both bench-type and hand-operated tube benders that the company manufactures.

She states, “Changing to metric production did require some expenditures in documentation and administration, but the resulting increase in business volume made the cost insignificant.” The company now manufactures both metric and inch tools, depending upon customer requirements.

Recently, Stride Tool received accreditation under ISO 9001. This makes Stride the first U.S. hand tool company to attain ISO 9001 certification, and one of the first 100 companies in the country that has met this quality manufacturing standard. Steve Slater, Marketing Director, notes, “We don't see using metric system measurement as doing anything special. Our employees use the metric system every day. We found that manufacturing to metric is easier and has contributed to additional productivity.”

In discussing the retooling required, Slater indicated that it is not necessary to resize the entire tool, as handles and some other parts do not need modification. There are many sizes where the tolerances allow direct conversion, i.e., many of the components of a ⁵⁄₁₆ in tube fitting wrench can be used for an 8 mm wrench.

Slater states, “Going metric and receiving the ISO 9001 accreditation has resulted in increased sales. We are proud of this increased capability and of the dedicated employees who are making Stride truly an international company.”