Die cutting costs, and a metrics mistake

Talking to a local die-cutting shop, as I research potential suppliers and prototype manufacturers. Found out that the creation of the die is actually done elsewhere, and that once a production run starts, "every time the press comes down it's 15 cents."

Then there was this, when I was describing the dimensions of the product we want die cut in millimeters:

"What's that? We don't do millimeters."

Chalk it up to quirks of the American manufacturing industry ...