Press Release

LATROBE, Pa., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) has been named a Supplier of the Year by General Motors Corporation (GM) for the fifth- consecutive year. Markos I. Tambakeras, president and chief executive officer and Derwin R. Gilbreath, vice president and chief operating officer, Metalworking Solutions and Services Group, accepted the award for Kennametal at a ceremony held Saturday, April 28 by GM at the historic Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. The prestigious award, celebrating its ninth-consecutive year, is given annually to GM's best global suppliers in recognition of their superior performance during the previous calendar year.

Kennametal is one of only 30 companies in the world to receive the award for five or more years.

"Kennametal represents the best of the best and it has set an example during the past year for other companies to follow," said Bo Andersson, executive in charge, GM Worldwide Purchasing. "Kennametal is a role model and it is an honor to work with a company so committed to supporting our priorities for quality, launch and a balance between current and future business."

"It is a distinct privilege to have General Motors as our valued customer and partner," said Tambakeras. "We at Kennametal are extremely proud to receive this award for the fifth-consecutive year. Earning this recognition demonstrates the commitment of our 13,000 employees around the globe to helping our customers improve their productivity and competitiveness and underscores Kennametal's ambition to be the best in customer satisfaction."

The 2000 winners represent only 165 companies from 19 nations. The companies recognized were selected by a global team of GM executives from purchasing, engineering, manufacturing and logistics who base their decisions on supplier performance.

This is the ninth-consecutive year for GM's program that recognizes supplier companies worldwide who exceed specific performance standards in the areas of quality, service, technology and price. The GM Supplier of the Year Awards began in Germany more than 20 years ago and were expanded to all of GM Europe in 1989. The Supplier of the Year Awards became an international recognition in 1992.

Kennametal Inc. aspires to be the premier tooling solutions supplier in the world with operational excellence throughout the value chain and best-in- class manufacturing and technology. Kennametal strives to deliver superior shareowner value through top-tier financial performance. The company provides customers a broad range of technologically advanced tools, tooling systems and engineering services aimed at improving customers' manufacturing competitiveness. With 13,000 employees worldwide, the corporation's annual sales are approximately $1.8 billion, with a third coming from sales outside the United States. Headquartered in Latrobe, Pa., USA, Kennametal was founded in 1938 by metallurgist Philip M. McKenna and today is represented in more than 60 countries. Kennametal operations in Europe are headquartered in Furth, Germany. Kennametal Asia Pacific operations are headquartered in Singapore.

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SOURCE Kennametal Inc.
Web site: http: //www.kennametal.com
CONTACT: Charles T. Glazer, Corporate Public Relations of Kennametal, 724-539-4618