We found our equipment was able to make the conversion. It helps that most of the demand for hard metrics is in the sheet market. Paul Goldner, president of Park Steel Co. in Toledo, Ohio, also is experiencing an increased demand for metric products, especially from automotive and heavy-equipment customers. Demand for metric metals is growing 3-4 percent a year, he says. What Houck and Golden describe apparently is part of a creeping trend toward metrication.
Imported equipment is built to hard-metric measurements.
That means repair tools and replacement parts also must be built in metrics. The Big Three automakers and computer industry both largely manufacture in hard metrics, even though for American consumers they use English measurements when describing products. These industries, particularly automotive, are creating a demand for metric-produced parts and components. The European Union has made it clear that it will push the U.S. for full metrication over time. In February, the EU offered the U.S. a ten-year grace period to adapt to metric labeling on products.