Manitowoc Crane Group News

Manitowoc Crane Group, a business entity of The Manitowoc Company, Inc., has announced an agreement with Kobelco Construction Machinery Co. of Tokyo, Japan, under which Kobelco will supply Manitowoc with a range of lattice-boom crawler cranes with lift capacities under 150 tons. These Manitowoc-branded products will be introduced in the second quarter of 2004. The lattice-boom cranes supplied to Manitowoc by Kobelco will be clearly differentiated from Kobelco’s own product offering. All new models will be sold and supported through Manitowoc’s existing dealer and product support networks. Manitowoc has not yet issued the model designations for the new cranes. Kobelco will continue to market and distribute its own full line of lattice-boom crawler cranes, from 55 U.S. tons to 250 U.S.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc., announced that approximately 120 unionized employees at Manitowoc Cranes walked off their jobs after rejecting a five-year labor agreement, which was proposed by the company. The affected workers at the Manitowoc, Wisconsin facility represent 9 percent of the North American workforce of Manitowoc Crane Group and are represented by the International Association of Machinists (IAM) Local 516. The previous contract for IAM Local 516 expired on October 31, 2003. Following a series of meetings with a federal mediator, the union’s bargaining committee presented the company’s settlement offer to its members. After rejecting the offer, Local 516 initiated a walk-off, which began at midnight on November 18, 2003.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc., announced today that the International Association of Machinists (IAM) Local 516 has ratified a new five-year contract with Manitowoc Cranes. Under the terms of the agreement, workers will receive cash bonuses in the first year of the contract and wage rate increases in the second through fifth years. The approximately 120 IAM Local 516 members, based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, walked off the job at midnight on November 18. The previous contract for the Local expired on October 31, 2003. The union bargaining committee and the company returned to the negotiating table yesterday and reached a tentative agreement, which was ratified by the Local 516 membership earlier today.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. has reached an agreement with Valcovna profilov a.s. for the development of a crane manufacturing facility in Saris, Slovakia. The facility, which will be refurbished and re-equipped, will serve as the final manufacturing and assembly site for Grove, Potain, and Manitowoc cranes being delivered to customers in East European markets, particularly in Russia and the CIS. The company expects to begin production from the Saris facility in late 2007. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but Manitowoc is revising its 2007 capital expenditures guidance from $70 million to $85 million for the full year as a result of this acquisition and other capacity initiatives in its Crane Group.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. announced that the company’s board of directors has elected Glen E. Tellock, as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. Tellock succeeds Terry D. Growcock, 61, who will remain chairman of the board of directors through 2008. Tellock was also appointed to serve on the board for a term that expires in 2008. Prior to being named CEO, Tellock had been senior vice president of The Manitowoc Company and president of Manitowoc Crane Group since 2002. Growcock had been the company’s president and chief executive officer since 1998 and has served as chairman of the board since October 2002. He has also been a director since 1998.

Manitowoc Crane Group has acquired the Carrydeck line of mobile industrial cranes from privately held Marine Travelift, Inc. of Sturgeon Bay. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The proposed acquisition was included in the company's 2007 financial guidance provided on November 28, 2006 that incorporates a 20 percent growth rate in revenue and low-teen percentage operating margin for Manitowoc Crane Group.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. announced today that it will close its National Crane boom-truck manufacturing facility in Waverly, NE and will move production to the company's facility in Shady Grove, PA. Both facilities were acquired when Manitowoc purchased Grove Worldwide last year. The closing is expected to take place by the end of 2003. The transfer of production will improve long-term utilization and productivity given the advanced systems already in place at Shady Grove. Proceeds from the sale of assets are expected to equal or slightly exceed the after-tax costs associated with the move. These costs will primarily be reflected as an adjustment to the purchase price of Grove Worldwide.