Metric Methods^SM

Metrication Consultant Services

"Don't be late to metricate!"

The need to metricate your business.

The United States is now more metric than it is non-metric.

This is the bottom line at the top of the page. We are past the halfway point of metrication and moving on towards completion, due to many influences including those shown below. The only question remaining for the United States is this: Does our country want to finish the job econically and efficiently or does it want to continue a disorganized approach to the end of the job? The only question remaining for you is this: Do you want to keep up by metricating now or do you want to try to catch up in desperation later on? We at Metric Methods^SM cannot metricate the United States single-handedly, but we can help you metricate!

Virtually all countries now require commerce to be conducted solely in units of the International System of units (SI), sometimes known as the "modern metric system". There is no signficant country in the world left to be metricated except the United States and our country is already more than 50 % metricated. Large producers are silently continuing this process in the United States. Smaller enterprises that ignore this silent movement are in danger of being caught unawares and being squeezed out. See this page for details about the need to metricate your business. The UPLR has been revised and a bill to amend the FPLA is expected to be presented to Congress at its next session.

NIST's public forum on metric-only labeling

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) held a public forum, "Efforts to Update Federal and State Packaging and Labeling Laws and Regulations to Give Manufacturers the Option to Voluntarily Label Packages with Only Metric Units", in Washington, DC on 2002 November 07. The owner and principal consultant for Metric Methods^SM attended the forum and spoke there. Various other speakers representing industry, trade organizations, and associations of professional business people spoke strongly in favor of permitting metric-only labeling in the U.S. on goods regulated under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA). Support was nearly unanimous at this public forum for the proposed FPLA revision to be sent to Congress. A forum report is available in PDF format from NIST.

A follow-on forum was convened by NIST on 2003 November 06 and the owner and principal consultant for Metric Methods^SM attended and spoke at this as well. This forum was a working meeting of interested parties from the previous year's forum as well as some new participants. Links to various documents relating to this meeting, as well as to the previous year's forum, can be found at NIST's Permissible Metric-Only Labeling web site.

Are you aware that...?

The European Union (EU) has a directive as a result of which non-SI markings will be banned after 2009 December 31 on any goods imported into the EU. This applies to all markings on products, enclosed directions and papers, packaging, and advertisements. Korea, Japan, and Australia already have similar bans in place. All measurements are to be expressed only in SI for goods entering those countries---and soon too for goods entering the EU. Failure to comply could result in jail sentences and substantial fines. The EU directive was originally to have gone into effect at the end of 1984 but the deadline has been extended three times. In 1999 the EU agreed to the third delay (to the end of 2009) in return for which U.S. law would be amended to allow metric-only labeling.

... and that...?

Over 96 % of the people in the world live their daily lives and conduct their business entirely in metric units. They buy their food, converse, work, and play using only metric units. We need to target the larger market. Our use of non-metric units on American-made products may be hurting our export profile. Requiring them on imports into the U.S. has been described by some as bullying tactics and a trade barrier.

... and further that...?

Nearly all states and jurisdictions in the U.S. now allow metric-only labeling on goods that they regulate?

What is the SI?

The SI is the International System of units, also called the international metric system. It is the only authorized measurement system used by nearly every country of the world, with the strange exception of the United States. But metric-only labeling is coming to America! Are your ready? Your customers are! American public education systems have taught the SI to students for decades now and most young and middle-aged Americans are more capable of handling metric units than they are the previously customary U.S. units.

Go to our page on the SI to answer the question "What is the SI?".
Go to our Metric Moments page to see how all Americans encounter and use the international metric system each day.
Go to our SI Guide page for an index of pages describing the use of the SI in other languages. There you will see that although the spelling and alphabets may change for unit and prefix names, the quantities and their symbols are universal. This feature alone helps you sell your product across language barriers!

This universal language of measurement promotes ease of communication in commerce, tourism, and technology. Do you want to take part in this?

Who needs to know the SI?

    Your sales force,
        your technical staff,
            your clerical and secretarial staff,
                your workers, and
YOU.

Check here to see if you need refresher training.

How we can help you.

We can

help you with every metric question and problem you face.
help you convert your documents: advertisements, labels, user instructions, specification sheets.
train your staff and provide material for you to keep it fresh and to train new hires.
provide our insights on what is happening in the EU and the US on metrication issues.

Our qualifications and experience.

Headed by a Lifetime Certified Advanced Metrication Specialist (LCAMS), who is:

experienced in teaching on the job in military environments
experienced in engineering applications*
experienced in teaching at high school and college levels
a member of professional organizations:

U.S. Metric Association, Inc. (USMA) --- awarded lifetime certification, elected Fellow of the U.S. Metric Association
National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) --- Senior Member of the IEEE
American Welding Society (AWS)

a member of metric standards committees for professional organizations:

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) and a member of Standards Coordinating Committee 14 (SCC14)
The joint IEEE/ASTM Committee for Maintaining IEEE/ASTM SI 10, "American National Standard for Use of the International System of Units (SI): The Modern Metric System"
The U.S. Technical Advisory Group to IEC Technical Committee 25 and ISO Technical Committee 12, sponsored by NIST and registered with the American National Standards Institute.
The American Welding Society (AWS) A-1 Committee on Metric Practice, maintaining AWS A1.1:2001: "Metric Practice Guide for the Welding Industry", an American National Standard

a member of professional education organizations:

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)
South Carolina Academy of Sciences (SCAS)

* We help you with the SI and work in association with T. W. Ryan & Associates, who can provide professional engineering services. Our principal consultant, though not a PE, has served as a Naval nuclear-trained officer on submarines and was the Engineer Officer on a fast attack submarine. He also has worked in the fields of chemistry and physics.

**Write to us today!**
Metric Methods^SM James R. Frysinger, LCAMS 10 Captiva Row Charleston, SC 29407

copyright 1999-2006 James R. Frysinger, Metric Methods
"Metric Methods" and the ruler graphic are service marks. All Rights Reserved.
Materials may be freely copied and distributed subject to the inclusion of the copyright notice and our Web site address.

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