Actuant Expands Leadership Team; Team Includes Four Executives from th

    Business Editors

    GLENDALE, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 14, 2005--Actuant Corporation (NYSE: ATU) today announced it has expanded the executive leadership that manages the company. Named to the Leadership Team are Nick Arena (Acme Electric), Marty O'Donohue (Specialty Electrical), Marty Palmer (Recreational Vehicle), Jan Smit (Power-Packer), Andre Deschamps (Power-Packer), George Scherer (B.W. Elliott), Daryl Lilly (Gits Manufacturing), and Raymond Shaw (China). The additions increase the Leadership Team from nine to 17 members.
    The original members of the Actuant's Leadership Team include Bob Arzbaecher (Chief Executive Officer), Andrew Lampereur (Chief Financial Officer), Ron Wieczorek, (Global Human Resources), Brian Kobylinski (Business Development), Mark Goldstein (Tools & Supplies), Gustav Boel (European Electrical), Ed Staple (Gardner Bender), George Bowman (Enerpac), and Bill Blackmore (Engineered Solutions).
    Says CEO Bob Arzbaecher, "Due to the diverse and decentralized nature of Actuant, the Leadership Team plays a critical role in communication, policy setting and decision making for the Company. Given our growth over the last 24 months and our outlook, it was important to expand our Leadership Team. We are pleased to tap this deep and talented group of managers, including four business leaders from Key Components, to help us lead Actuant into the future." Actuant completed the acquisition of Key Components in December 2004.
    Actuant will announce quarterly earnings on March 17 before the market opens. A conference call is scheduled for 11am ET and may be listened to via web cast on Actuant's website at www.actuant.com.

    About Actuant

    Actuant, headquartered in Glendale, Wisconsin, is a diversified industrial company with operations in more than 25 countries. The Actuant businesses are market leaders in highly engineered position and motion control systems and branded hydraulic and electrical tools and supplies. Formerly known as Applied Power, Actuant was created in 2000 after the spin-off of Applied Power's electronics business segment into a separate public company called APW Ltd. Since 2000, Actuant has grown its sales from $482 million to over $800 million and its market capitalization from $113 million to over $1.4 billion. The company employs a workforce of more than 5,000 worldwide. Actuant Corporation trades on the NYSE under the symbol ATU.
    For further information on Actuant and its business units, visit the Company's website at www.actuant.com.

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CONTACT: Actuant Corporation Ann E. Ertl, 414-352-4160

KEYWORD: WISCONSIN INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS AUTOMOTIVE MINING/METALS ENERGY MANUFACTURING MANAGEMENT CHANGES SOURCE: Actuant Corporation

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