Black Diamond Opens Global Distribution Center

January 12, 2009 (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Black Diamond Equipment Ltd., a global leader in the climbing and freeride ski markets, announced the completion and opening of its global distribution center near its Zhuhai, China headquarters.

“The announcement today comes on the third anniversary of the opening of the BD Asia facility in 2006 and marks the steady commitment to groundbreaking product design, market growth and increased operational efficiency of Black Diamond as a global company,” comments Peter Metcalf, CEO.

Black Diamond’s global Distribution Center, located in a Free Trade Zone in Guangdong province, China, will assist the company in better meeting growing worldwide demand for its products. This is accomplished by locating the storage of inventory closer to various OEM providers and BD’s own manufacturing operation. This allows BD to be more responsive to changes in global demand patterns, consolidate freight and reduce overall inventory carrying costs.

Mark Ritchie, VP of Operations explains in greater detail, “ The opening of the new global DC marks a waypoint dating back to April 2005 when our strategic planning team focused on the need to streamline global purchasing and distribution functions to improve visibility, management and overall efficiency. The opening of the new global DC is an exciting milestone yet also represents a starting point as we strive to continually improve the systems, product flow and customer service.”

Winner of the Outside magazine 2008 Gear of the Year for the Bandit AvaLung pack, Black Diamond Equipment Ltd. is an employee-owned manufacturer of equipment for rock climbing, alpinism and freeride skiing. By consistently building innovative, standard-setting products and actively preserving the mountain environment, Black Diamond has assumed a leadership role in the international outdoor community. For more information on Black Diamond visit www.blackdiamondequipment.com