Pfaff-silberblau under New Leadership

Ronald Bartel appointed COO; Wolfgang Wegener assumes responsibility as CEO

Kissing/Germany, 2 April 2009 - As of April 1, 2009, Kissing/Germany based Pfaff-silberblau Hebezeugfabrik GmbH announced the appointment of Dipl.-Ing. Ronald Bartel, the company’s previous director of sales & marketing, as its new managing director and COO (Chief Operating Officer). In this function he is responsible for sales and marketing, engineering, production, service, logistics well as for the rail and road division. Bernd Wagner, the CFO (Chief Financial Officer) of Pfaff-silberblau Hebezeugfabrik, remains head of finance, controlling, IT, and human resources. The leading duo is being headed by Wolfgang Wegener, Vice President of Columbus McKinnon Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCO) and Managing Director of Columbus McKinnon Europe, the holding company of Pfaff-silberblau. As CEO he will be paving the way for an intensified interaction between CMCO and Pfaff-silberblau as of April 1, 2009. “It is vital for the success of the Pfaff-silberblau Group to adjust the strategic orientation of Pfaff-silberblau Hebezeugfabrik, the subsidiary ALLTEC Antriebstechnik as well as the foreign subsidiaries”, says CEO Wolfgang Wegener. Pfaff-silberblau had been taken over by the US-American Columbus McKinnon Group in October 2008. Pfaff-silberblau’s previous CEO Dr. Volker Bartelt has departed the company on this own request to seek other challenges.

About Pfaff-silberblau The Pfaff-silberblau Group, which is based in Kissing, Germany, is a Columbus McKinnon (CMCO) company. Pfaff-silberblau Hebezeugfabrik GmbH is one of the technological leaders in the fields of hoisting machinery and material handling equipment as well as actuator technology/worm gear screw jacks. The Pfaff-silberblau, which also includes ALLTEC Antriebstechnik, Heilbronn, and Pfaff-silberblau Verkehrstechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Kissing, employs over 300 people worldwide and is represented through six national subsidiaries as well as numerous regional representatives. Further information on Pfaff-silberblau at www.pfaff-silberblau.com.