<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-24
<SEQUENCE>6
<FILENAME>l90392aex24.txt
<DESCRIPTION>EXHIBIT 24
<TEXT>
<PAGE>   1
                                                                      EXHIBIT 24


                                POWER OF ATTORNEY
                                -----------------

                  KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that the undersigned director
and/or officer of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc., an Ohio corporation,
hereby constitutes and appoints Robert C. Stinson and John R. Whitten, and each
of them, the true and lawful agents and attorneys-in-fact of the undersigned
with full power and authority in said agents and the attorneys-in-fact, and in
any one or more of them, to sign for the undersigned and in his respective name
as director and/or officer of the Corporation, the Corporation's Annual Report
for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2001 on Form 10-K to be filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
and the rules and regulations issued thereunder, hereby ratifying and confirming
all acts taken by such agents and attorneys-in-fact, or any one of them, as
herein authorized.

Date:             8/28/01                           /s/ Thomas A. Commes
       ---------------------------         -------------------------------------




<PAGE>   2








                                POWER OF ATTORNEY
                                -----------------

                  KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that the undersigned director
and/or officer of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc., an Ohio corporation,
hereby constitutes and appoints Robert C. Stinson and John R. Whitten, and each
of them, the true and lawful agents and attorneys-in-fact of the undersigned
with full power and authority in said agents and the attorneys-in-fact, and in
any one or more of them, to sign for the undersigned and in his respective name
as director and/or officer of the Corporation, the Corporation's Annual Report
for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2001 on Form 10-K to be filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
and the rules and regulations issued thereunder, hereby ratifying and confirming
all acts taken by such agents and attorneys-in-fact, or any one of them, as
herein authorized.

Date:             8/27/01                             /s/ L. Thomas Hiltz
       ---------------------------         -------------------------------------


<PAGE>   3








                                POWER OF ATTORNEY
                                -----------------

                  KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that the undersigned director
and/or officer of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc., an Ohio corporation,
hereby constitutes and appoints Robert C. Stinson and John R. Whitten, and each
of them, the true and lawful agents and attorneys-in-fact of the undersigned
with full power and authority in said agents and the attorneys-in-fact, and in
any one or more of them, to sign for the undersigned and in his respective name
as director and/or officer of the Corporation, the Corporation's Annual Report
for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2001 on Form 10-K to be filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
and the rules and regulations issued thereunder, hereby ratifying and confirming
all acts taken by such agents and attorneys-in-fact, or any one of them, as
herein authorized.

Date:             8/23/01                           /s/ Stephen E. Yates
       ---------------------------         -------------------------------------



</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
