Kennametal Inc. announced today that it has elected Timothy R. McLevish, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited, to the Board of Directors.

"Tim McLevish has an impressive track record in financial leadership and general management, including broad international experience," said Markos I. Tambakeras, Kennametal's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Tim's career progression in businesses similar to ours will be of great value to Kennametal and our board of directors."

Mr. McLevish, 49, joined Ingersoll-Rand in May 2002 as chief financial officer. Ingersoll-Rand, with annual sales in excess of $9 billion, is a provider of climate control, industrial solutions, infrastructure development and security and safety products.

Prior to that, Mr. McLevish spent fifteen years at Mead Corporation where he held increasingly responsible management positions in various Mead businesses serving in finance, administration and general management. He was named president and general manager of Mead's Specialty Paper Division in 1993, appointed vice president and treasurer in 1998, and in 1999 he assumed the role of corporate controller. He was later named vice president, and chief financial officer of Mead.

Mr. McLevish graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in accounting. He received an MBA from Harvard University in 1985 and is a certified public accountant. He also serves as a director or member of several professional and civic organizations. He lives with his wife, Catherine, and their two daughters in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

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 approximately 13,500 employees worldwide, the company's annual sales approximate $2.0 billion, with nearly half coming from sales outside the United States. Kennametal is a five-time winner of the GM "Supplier of the Year" award and is represented in more than 60 countries. Kennametal operations in Europe are headquartered in Furth, Germany. Kennametal Asia Pacific operations are headquartered in Singapore. For more information, visit the company's web site at http://www.kennametal.com/ .

SOURCE: Kennametal Inc.