Actuant Appoints New Director

MILWAUKEE--Oct. 2, 20049, 2004--Actuant Corporation announced today that Larry Yost has been appointed to the Actuant Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Mr. Yost recently retired from ArvinMeritor where he held the positions of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. During Mr. Yost's tenure at ArvinMeritor he successfully led the spin-off of Meritor Automotive from Rockwell International in 1997 and the merger with Arvin in 2000.

Commenting on the announcement, Bob Arzbaecher, Actuant's Chairman and CEO, said, "We are pleased to announce the addition of Larry to Actuant's Board of Directors. Larry's CEO experience, coupled with automotive industry expertise, is a good fit with Actuant's business profile."

Actuant, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a diversified industrial company with operations in over 20 countries. The Actuant businesses are market leaders in highly engineered position and motion control systems and branded hydraulic and electrical tools. Products are offered under such established brand names as Dresco, Enerpac, Gardner Bender, Kopp, Kwikee, Milwaukee Cylinder, Nielsen Sessions, Power-Packer, Power Gear and Yvel.

For further information on Actuant and its business units, visit the Company's website at www.actuant.com.