NEWS RELEASE
                                                                        CONTACT:
                                                                 Karen L. Howard
                   Vice President, Treasurer and Interim Chief Financial Officer
                                                   Columbus McKinnon Corporation
                                                            Phone:  716-689-5550
                                                        karen.howard@cmworks.com


    COLUMBUS MCKINNON REPORTS ON RESULTS OF ANNUAL MEETING
       o   ALL DIRECTORS RE-ELECTED FOR TERM ENDING AUGUST 2006
       o   ERNEST R. VEREBELYI ELECTED CHAIRMAN
       o   PRESIDENT & CEO PROVIDES OUTLOOK FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE

Amherst,  New York,  Monday,  August 15,  2005 - Columbus  McKinnon  Corporation
(Nasdaq:  CMCO),  a leading  worldwide  designer,  manufacturer  and marketer of
material handling  products,  systems and services,  announced today that at its
Annual Meeting of Shareholders,  the  shareholders  re-elected its directors for
the term ending August 2006.  The  re-elected  Directors for Columbus  McKinnon,
which comprise the total board, are Wallace W. Creek, Richard H. Fleming,  Linda
A. Goodspeed, Herbert P. Ladds, Jr., Carlos Pascual, Stephen Rabinowitz, Timothy
T. Tevens and Ernest R. Verebelyi. There were 14,979,746 shares entitled to vote
at the  meeting.  Each  director  received  in  excess of 13  million  votes for
re-election.

During  management's  presentation,   Timothy  T.  Tevens,  President  and  CEO,
commented  on the  performance  of the Company and its outlook.  He noted,  "Our
sales closely  correlate with industrial  capacity  utilization.  As utilization
increases,  we tend to see increases in orders.  Industrial capacity utilization
in the U.S. has been  increasing the last twelve to eighteen  months and similar
increases are being realized around the world."

He continued,  "Orders  continue at a solid pace. We believe that,  based on the
global economy's industrial strength,  our expansion into international markets,
our new product introductions and our measurable productivity  improvements,  in
the  foreseeable  future we could return to the $600 million  level in sales and
achieve operating profit margins in the 11% - 12% range."

Management also discussed its continued focus on reducing debt with a target 50%
debt-to-total  capitalization,  and reviewed its financing strategies to improve
its financial flexibility.

No other matters were brought forth at the meeting.  At a meeting  following the
Annual  Meeting of  Shareholders,  the Board of Directors  of Columbus  McKinnon
Corporation elected Ernest R. Verebelyi as its Chairman, as planned according to
its July 22, 2005 news release.  Herbert P. Ladds, Jr., retired as Chairman, but
will remain on the Board in order to provide for a smooth transition.

ABOUT COLUMBUS MCKINNON

Columbus McKinnon is a leading worldwide designer,  manufacturer and marketer of
material  handling  products,   systems  and  services,  which  efficiently  and
ergonomically  move,  lift,  position or secure  material.  Key products include
hoists,  cranes,  chain and  forged  attachments.  The  Company  is  focused  on
commercial  and  industrial  applications  that  require  the safety and quality
provided  by  its  superior  design  and  engineering  know-how.   Comprehensive
information   on   Columbus   McKinnon   is   available   on  its  web  site  at
HTTP://WWW.CMWORKS.COM.





SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

This press release contains  "forward-looking  statements" within the meaning of
the Private Securities  Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements  include,
but are not limited to, statements  concerning future revenue and earnings,  and
involve  known and unknown  risks,  uncertainties  and other  factors that could
cause the actual  results of the Company to differ  materially  from the results
expressed or implied by such statements,  including continued global strength in
the  industrial  economy,  customer  acceptance of new products,  the success of
international sales efforts, the effectiveness of productivity  improvements and
other  factors  disclosed  in the  Company's  periodic  reports  filed  with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Company assumes no obligation to update
the forward-looking information contained in this release.


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