PITTSBURGH, March 1, 2018 — (PRNewswire) —  Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) announced today that two company leaders, Jianhua (Daisy) Sun and Michele Jenkins, will be recognized and receive honors at the sixth annual Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Ahead Awards presented by The Manufacturing Institute.

The STEP Ahead Awards highlight women and their accomplishments throughout manufacturing, starting at the factory floor to the C-suite. The STEP Ahead Awards promote the numerous opportunities available in the manufacturing industry, emphasizing that women can excel tremendously in this field.

"Kennametal is proud to have these two outstanding women represent our company as STEP Ahead Award honorees," said Kennametal President and CEO Christopher Rossi. "Daisy and Michele add to the list of six other women in manufacturing leaders from Kennametal that have won this prestigious award in recent years. They set an example for all leaders to follow and serve as an inspiration to their communities and the industry."

"The women who we are celebrating represent the exciting career opportunities available in manufacturing," said Natalie Schilling, 2018 Chair of STEP Ahead and Vice President of Human Resources at Arconic. "The STEP Ahead Award honors successful women in this industry for their significant achievements and the positive impact they have made on their companies, their communities and the industry as a whole."

Sun is the regional quality manager for Kennametal's Asia Pacific region, and oversees process control, product validation and certification of products manufactured annually. Her contributions have been key in developing customers and sales growth in the Asia Pacific region. She also participates in many community programs such as mentoring, fundraising campaigns, as well as environmental initiatives.

Jenkins is the site business director for one of Kennametal's largest manufacturing locations, Rogers, Arkansas. During that time, she has significantly improved the facility's performance and is currently leading a large investment in modernization at the facility. She is a strong supporter of her community, working with manufacturing, engineering and mentoring programs in local high schools. In addition, Jenkins is a U.S. Army Veteran of the Gulf War.

The STEP Ahead Awards will honor Sun and Jenkins, along with 128 other women on April 10 in Washington D.C.

About Kennametal

Celebrating its 80^th year as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Every day approximately 11,000 employees are helping customers in more than 60 countries stay competitive. Kennametal generated nearly $2.1 billion in revenues in fiscal 2017. Learn more at www.kennametal.com.

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SOURCE Kennametal Inc.

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Company Name: Kennametal Inc. Media Relations - Christina Sutter, PHONE: 724-539-5708; Investor Relations - Kelly Boyer, PHONE: 412-248-8287 Web: http://www.kennametal.com Financial data for Kennametal Inc.