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Kennametal Inc. Receives Supplier Award and Contract From Renault

26 April 2000

Kennametal Inc. Receives Supplier Award and Contract From Renault

                    Toolmaker Honored for Customer Service
           Gains Business at New Automobile Engine Plant in Brazil

    LATROBE, Pa., April 26 Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT)
announced today it has received the prestigious Optima Award from its customer
Renault and a contract to supply metalcutting tooling and technology to a new
plant the French automaker is building in Brazil.  Kennametal is the only
supplier of metalcutting tooling to receive this award and one of only
10 companies to be honored out of 12,000 Renault suppliers worldwide.
    The new Renault facility is located in Curitiba, south of Sao Paulo,
Brazil.  The plant will utilize Kennametal tooling and machining technology to
manufacture automobile engines.
    "We are extremely honored to receive this prestigious award from our
customer Renault," said Markos I. Tambakeras, president and chief executive
officer, "and very proud to be the supplier of cutting tools for Renault's new
engine plant in Brazil.  The partnership Kennametal has with Renault reflects
the high priority our employees place on delighting customers.  Winning the
Renault contract and the Optima Award is clear evidence that Kennametal has
the confidence, reputation, skills and supply chain necessary to achieve its
ambition to be the premier tooling solutions supplier in the world."
    The multi-year contract awarded to Kennametal is the result of a
cooperative effort by a global Kennametal team, including employees in Europe,
Brazil and the United States.
    Kennametal has a 15-year relationship with Renault, but this new agreement
raises the relationship to a new level and introduces the potential for future
business with Renault in France, Spain, Chile, Romania and, through its
alliance with Nissan, in the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States.
Renault, with Nissan, is one of the leading carmakers in Europe and globally,
producing 6 million vehicles annually.  Kennametal is the No. 1 manufacturer
of metalworking tools in North America and is No. 2 in Europe and worldwide.