8-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 9, 2018

COLUMBUS MCKINNON CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

NEW YORK

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)

0-27618	16-0547600
(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

205 CROSSPOINT PARKWAY, GETZVILLE, NEW YORK	14068
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number including area code: (716) 689-5400

_________________________________________________

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

o Emerging Growth Company

o If an Emerging Growth Company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

Item 7.01 REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE.

Columbus McKinnon Corporation presented its Strategic Plan Briefing during a webcast on January 9, 2018. A copy of the slides presented at the briefing are included as Exhibit 99.1 and a press release related to the briefing is included as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report and are incorporated herein by reference.

The information in this Current Report furnished pursuant to Item 7.01 and 9.01 shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section. This information shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The furnishing of the information in this Current Report is not intended to, and does not, constitute a representation that such furnishing is required by Regulation FD or that the information this Current Report contains is material investor information that is not otherwise publicly available.

Item 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.

(d)Exhibits.

EXHIBIT NUMBER	DESCRIPTION
99.1	Strategic Plan Briefing Slides
99.2	Press Release Dated January 9, 2018

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

COLUMBUS McKINNON CORPORATION
By:	/s/ Gregory P. Rustowicz
Name:	Gregory P. Rustowicz
Title:	Vice President Finance and Chief
	Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)

Dated: January 9, 2018

EXHIBIT INDEX

EXHIBIT NUMBER	DESCRIPTION
99.1	Strategic Plan Briefing Slides
99.2	Press Release Dated January 9, 2018

EX-99.1

Mark D. Morelli President and Chief Executive Officer Gregory P. Rustowicz Vice President – Finance & Chief Financial Officer BLUEPRINT 2021: RAISING EXPECTATIONS 9 January 2018

2 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT These slides contain (and the accompanying oral discussion will contain) “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements 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 general economic and business conditions, conditions affecting the industries served by the Company and its subsidiaries, conditions affecting the Company’s customers and suppliers, competitor responses to the Company’s products and services, the overall market acceptance of such products and services, the integration of acquisitions and other factors disclosed in the Company’s periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Consequently such forward looking statements should be regarded as the Company’s current plans, estimates and beliefs. The Company does not undertake and specifically declines any obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect any future events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.

3 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation BLUEPRINT 2021 STRATEGY  Transform into a high performing industrial technology company  Increase earnings power with selective deployment of self-funded key initiatives FOCUS ON DRIVING PROFITABLE GROWTH Profitable growth  Ramp the New Product Engine - double R&D spend; smart products  Strengthen the Core - product availability and on-line end user engagement Operational excellence  Simplify business structure  Leverage common platforms and components Business development  Introduce portfolio analysis  Further pivot to growth-oriented industrial technology company Strategy creates foundation for stronger business model

4 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation MISSION & VISION STATEMENTS Mission: We provide expert, professional-grade solutions and products, building the trust of customers by solving their high-value problems. Vision: To become the leading industrial technology company in safe & productive motion control. Partners in Motion Control

5 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation HIGHLY RELEVANT TO CUSTOMERS Professional grade solutions for complex applications

6 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation  Strengthen the core  Ramp new product engine  Create end-user pull  Become easy to do business with  STAHL value creation  Portfolio Analysis  Pivot strategy: Value creating acquisitions  Best in class safety & quality  Continuous improvement  Optimize supply chain & global footprint  Simplify product platform  Simplify business structure Become the leading Industrial Technology Company in safe & productive motion control STRATEGY: PARTNERS IN MOTION CONTROL Profitable Growth Business Development Operational Excellence

7 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation Pivot from late stage industrial to growth oriented industrial technology company STRATEGY: EVOLUTION OF COLUMBUS MCKINNON Today Future Late State C y c li c a l Indu s tr y Gro w th Or ie n te d Indu s tri a l T e c hnolog y Phase I Get control Achieve results Phase II Operational excellence Profitable growth Phase III Business development Create Performance Culture: • Tiger teams • E-PAS Simplify: • Business structure • Product platforms Operating improvements Increase R&D Further Pivot: • Portfolio assessment • M&A

8 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation PHASE I: GET CONTROL & ACHIEVE RESULTS

9 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation PHASE I: GET CONTROL 1. STRENGTHEN THE CORE 2. LEVERAGE MAGNETEK 3. STAHL VALUE CREATION 4. PAY OFF DEBT TIGER TEAMS ESTABLISHED

10 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation Mission, Vision, Values Strategy Deployment Risk & Opportunity (R&Os) Monthly Operating Reviews (MORs) KPIs Implemented In Progress More to Come  Phased implementation: Multi-step, Multi-year  MOR’s & R&O’s have been implemented  Strategy deployment Earnings Power Acceleration System Operating system deployment is critical to executing the plan PHASE I ACHIEVE RESULTS: E-PAS Enabler

11 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation PHASE I ACHIEVE RESULTS: TIGER TEAMS STRENGTHEN THE CORE LEVERAGE MAGNETEK Solve for missed revenue due to unplanned purchases Smart Hoist A new approach to gain greater market penetration

12 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation PHASE I ACHIEVE RESULTS: TIGER TEAMS $5.0 $11.0 FY 2018 FY 2019 $30.1 FY18 YTD FY 2018E FY 2019E STAHL VALUE CREATION PAY DOWN DEBT On track with synergies Paying down debt ahead of schedule ($ in millions) $55 - $60 $55 - $65

13 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation PHASE II: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE & PROFITABLE GROWTH

14 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation Industrial End Users General Distribution/Rental Lifting Specialists (Direct Sales) Rigging Specialists Crane Builders EPC OEM Motion Technology Distributors Industrial Products Crane Solutions & Kits Engineered Products Motion Technology Channel Partners: Product Categories: Understanding the business from the “customer back,” three product categories are evident Market Drives Structure PHASE II: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

15 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation Simplify organization BRANDS: PRODUCTS: Manual Chain Hoist  Electrical Chain Hoist Rigging / Clamps  Industrial Winches High Capacity Hooks Cranes, Wire Rope Hoists Drives and Controls Crane Kits & Components Jibs, Workstations Linear & Mechanical Actuators  Lifting Tables Rail & Road Actuation Systems Operating structure aligned with products and brands leads to global business units Industrial Products Crane Solutions Engineered Products GLOBAL BUSINESS UNITS: PHASE II: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

16 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation High Performance Standard Industrial Basic Rationalize global platforms while maintaining brands Wire Rope Hoist Platform PHASE II: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE Simplify product platforms

17 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation Niche Products 9 hoists rationalized to 3, representing ~80% of sales Hand Chain Hoist Platform 80% of sales 20% of sales Basic Standard Industrial High Performance PHASE II: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE Hand chain hoist harmonization

18 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation COMMON PARTS LEVER TOOL CHAIN BLOCK CHAIN BLOCK 1 CHAIN BLOCK 3 CHAIN BLOCK 2 LEVER TOOL 2 LEVER TOOL 1 LEVER TOOL 3 INDIVIDUAL PARTS “The individual shell plus outside” Optimization of supply chain Manual Chain Hoist Platform PARTS ARE 100% SHARED “Everything between the side plates” PARTS ARE SHARED BETWEEN PRODUCT TYPE “Everything between the side plates and the shell” Shared platforms lead to common parts - drives inventory efficiencies and purchasing power PHASE II: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

19 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation 38% 20% 10% 9% 7% 6% 5% 5% Hoists Forging Power Control Actuators / Rotary Unions Square Footage by Function FY17 Other Crane / Overhead Rail Consolidating warehouses, improved floor space utilization & efficiency improvements represent significant opportunity Logistics / Warehouses ~ Chain ~ 2,500,000 SF 19 Factories 9 Warehouses PHASE II: OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE Potential for operating improvements

20 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation PHASE II: INVESTING FOR GROWTH Double R&D spend over next 3 years FY17 FY21 2 Product Engineering Engineered to Order Research Sustaining Engineering Investment1 R&D ~$10M 65% R&D ~$21M 75% ~$16.0 ~$27.0 1 Included in SG&A 2 Excludes impact of STAHL ($ in millions) CREATING CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN FY2019

21 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation PHASE II: SMART HOIST VISION Megatrend movement to industrial automation Source: University of Oxford, ARK Original Research 2017 2035 0 80 m ill io n s Projected full-time jobs automated in the U.S. Opportunity to capitalize on automation megatrend

22 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation Leveraging technology and experience to design “Smart Hoists”  Onboard diagnostics  Remote monitoring  Precision lifting  Load sensing  Preventative maintenance Leads to improved safety and reduced down time Leveraging recent acquisitions to deliver solution-based products PHASE II: INVESTING FOR GROWTH Smart Hoists

23 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation PHASE III: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

24 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation PHASE III: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Portfolio assessment Selective Investment Selective Investment Selective Investment Fix / Exit Fix / Exit Divest Invest / Grow Invest / Grow Scale-Up <~$5M >~$5M >~$10M Portfolio Assessment Criteria  Business model  Profitability  Market position  Industry growth  Risk assessment New Indust. Tech EBITDA (to scale) CMC O

25 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation Initial thoughts on fields of interest:  Engineered systems  Positioning and control equipment Further pivot from late stage industrial to growth oriented industrial technology Action Items:  Analyze motion control taxonomy  Focus on industrial technology designed to optimize processes and efficiency PHASE III: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Acquisitions

26 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation DRIVING RESULTS

27 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation $108 ~$130 - $155 Q2FY18 LTM (pro forma*) FY21 13.3% ~15% -17% $809 ~$860 - $910 Q2FY18 LTM (pro forma*) FY21 GM% 32.6% ~34% - 36% RSG&A% 21.7% ~21% ($ in millions) ESTIMATED IMPACT OF INITIATIVES Blueprint 2021 expected to achieve >15% EBITDA margins EBITDA% REVENUE EBITDA *Includes 8 months of actual STAHL results annualized

28 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation High Case Assumptions  Bullish growth in key global verticals  Rapid adoption of configurator  Smart Hoist out performs Low Case Assumptions  Key verticals slow to declining  Stagnant US economy  EMEA political instability  No growth in Asia Base Case Assumptions  Continued growth in US economy  Key growth initiatives deliver  Stable geo-political environment Q2FY18 LTM $809M EBITDA $108M (13.3%) Revenue 3-year CAGR EBITDA Margin 5% - 7% 16% - 18% 2% - 4% 15% - 17% 0% - 1% 13% - 14% Revenue and EBITDA Margin Potential1 RESULTS POTENTIAL: SCENARIO ANALYSIS (pro forma2) 1 Excludes impact of acquisitions and divestitures 2 Includes 8 months of actual STAHL results annualized

29 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation SIGNIFICANT FREE CASH FLOW GENERATION Achieving net leverage below 2x in FY19 provides sufficient financial flexibility for pivot strategy ($ in millions) $8.7 $21.0 $30.3 $46.1 $57.6 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 Q2 FY18 TTM FY19E FY20E FY21E $70 - $75 $75 - $85 $85 - $95 After: • Annual CapEx of $20 to $25 million • Annual Pension contribution of ~$12 million ENABLES MEASURABLE ANNUAL DEBT PAYMENT • $55 million to $65 million in FY19

30 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation LIVING OUR VALUES

31 © 2018 Columbus McKinnon Corporation Be easy to do business with. Focus on the customer. Listen. Simplify. Deliver on your commitments. Aim for greatness. Do your best. Hold yourself accountable. Think differently. Be proactive with new ideas. Ask questions. Be part of the solution. Win as a team. Work together. Respect each other. Celebrate success. Act with integrity. Do the right thing. Extend trust. Appreciate differences. OUR VALUES We are raising expectations by living these values through our daily behavior.

Questions? BLUEPRINT 2021: RAISING EXPECTATIONS 9 January 2018

BLUEPRINT 2021: RAISING EXPECTATIONS 9 January 2018

EX-99.2

EXHIBIT 99.2

News Release

205 Crosspoint Parkway

Getzville, NY  14068

Immediate Release

Columbus McKinnon Presents Strategic Plan

“Blueprint 2021: Raising Expectations”

AMHERST, NY, January 09, 2018 - Columbus McKinnon Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCO), a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of motion control products, technologies and services for material handling, today hosted an investor briefing to outline “Blueprint 2021: Raising Expectations”, a three-year roadmap that outlines the strategic vision for the Company and defines business goals and financial performance objectives.

Mark D. Morelli, Columbus McKinnon’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and Gregory P. Rustowicz, Vice President - Finance and Chief Financial Officer, provided a comprehensive overview of “Blueprint 2021”, which aims to transform the Company from a late stage industrial manufacturer into a high performing industrial technology company while increasing earnings power through selective deployment of self-funded, key initiatives.

“Blueprint 2021” spans three phases comprised of three areas of focus: profitable growth, operational excellence and business development.

Mr. Morelli commented, “Columbus McKinnon has strong, professional brands which are deeply penetrated in a number of significant vertical markets. This is an excellent foundation upon which to grow with enhanced solutions fueled by a culture committed to operational excellence. We are excited about what we see as a significant runway of opportunities as we provide expert, professional-grade solutions and products for motion control.”

He continued, “We plan to improve the earnings power of the Company by simplifying across our spectrum internally, from the business structure to unnecessarily complex product platforms and component parts. We plan to leverage some of that efficiency savings to fund new product development, doubling our R&D spend to ramp our product engine to create smart products that solve our customers’ high value problems.”

The goals of the plan are to drive stronger earnings power with EBITDA margins greater than 15% through operational improvements, new product development and by capturing greater market share. The Company expects to pay down approximately $55 million to $60 million of debt in FY2018 and $55 million to $65 million in FY2019. By achieving net leverage below two times EBITDA in fiscal year 2019, Columbus McKinnon will have the financial flexibility to further pivot through acquisitions toward an industrial technology business.

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An audio replay of the webcast and accompanying slides are available in the Investor Relations section of the Columbus McKinnon website at www.cmworks.com. In addition, a transcript of the presentation will be posted to the website, once available.

About Columbus McKinnon

Columbus McKinnon is a leading worldwide designer, manufacturer and marketer of motion control products, technologies, systems and services that efficiently and ergonomically move, lift, position and secure materials. Key products include hoists, cranes, actuators, rigging tools, light rail work stations and digital power and motion control systems. 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 at http://www.cmworks.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news 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, 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 general economic and business conditions, conditions affecting the industries served by the Company and its subsidiaries, conditions affecting the Company's customers and suppliers, competitor responses to the Company's products and services, the overall market acceptance of such products and services, the effect of operating leverage, the pace of bookings relative to shipments, the ability to expand into new markets and geographic regions, the success in acquiring new business, the speed at which shipments improve, the effectiveness of new products 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.

Contacts:

Gregory P. Rustowicz	Investor Relations:
Vice President - Finance and Chief Financial Officer	Deborah K. Pawlowski
Columbus McKinnon Corporation	Kei Advisors LLC
716-689-5442	716-843-3908
greg.rustowicz@cmworks.com	dpawlowski@keiadvisors.com

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