THERE IS ONE MORE DAY - the Heart of Manufacturing exhibition at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. METALWORKING FLUID MAGAZINE made the trip today and we have some recommendations.

Number 1 on our list is to visit Eriez. In our opinion, except as to the centrifuge of Alfa Laval, Eriez has moved to the top of the charts for portable and tank side metalworking fluid recycling. They have a nice set-up that demonstrates separate systems for sludge and fines removal, tramp oil removal, and skimming. Each machine has its function and each one has the look of quality that says it was built to last. I especially liked the portable sludge removal system that lets the machine continue to operate while the fines are removed and the fluid cycled back to the tank. Checks and balances maintain equal flow rates.

#2 Visit Fuchs Lubricants at their distributor's booth. They have a good looking tank side tramp oil recovery system that they will demonstrate for you. It has a small footprint and maintenance (clean-out) is simple.

#3 Visit Hangsterfers. They are promoting their newest vegetable based metalworking fluid and their recent approval by Rolls Royce of their titanium cutting fluid. This is a family run big business with passion. If you didn't know, approval at Rolls Royce is one of the great honors in this industry.

#4 Visit Blaser. Blaser is introducing a new vegetable based product, a biostable grinding product and others. I've seen their operation and product development is 24/7/365 at Blaser. Also privately owned, with amazingly loyal employees worldwide.

All in all a good show. The weather has been unseasonably difficult, making travel to the first day of the show very difficult. So the crowd size was certainly manageable. For food - venture away from the convention center. You can walk to great restaurants in less time than you'll wait in line for convention center food.