Kennametal Named GM Supplier of the Year for Fifth-Straight Year; One of Only 30 Suppliers in the World Honored for Five or More Years

    LATROBE, Pa., May 1 Kennametal Inc. 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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