Key Technology Hires John Boutsikaris as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing

August 16, 2005 – Key Technology, Inc. announces the appointment of John Boutsikaris as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Boutsikaris is responsible for leading worldwide sales and marketing activities for Key’s automated inspection, specialized conveying and product preparation systems.

“We’re very excited to have John join the team at Key Technology. He brings a wealth of experience in sales and marketing management in domestic and international markets. He has an extensive background with both direct and indirect sales channels and with the development of new channels and new ventures,” commented Kirk Morton, President and CEO of Key Technology. “The skills and experiences John brings to his new position will support the company in achieving its strategic initiatives.”

Boutsikaris brings more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience to his position at Key. Most recently, he was Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for Pemstar Corporation. Previously, he spent 27 years with Agilent Technologies/Hewlett-Packard in a variety of sales and channel management roles.

“It’s exciting to join such a successful organization with an established leadership position and an unparalleled commitment to providing outstanding service,” commented John Boutsikaris. “With customers focused on producing higher quality products while reducing operating costs, Key has a tremendous opportunity to expand its business. This is an exciting environment to be in, and I’m eager to begin developing a long-term growth strategy.”

About Key Technology
Key Technology, an ISO-9001 certified company, is a leading designer and manufacturer of process automation systems, integrated electro-optical inspection and sorting systems, and processing systems. Key® systems help processors to improve quality, increase yield, and reduce cost. With worldwide sales representation, the company maintains demonstration and testing facilities at its headquarters and manufacturing divisions in Walla Walla, Washington, USA, and at Key Technology BV in Beusichem, the Netherlands. The company's common stock trades on the Nasdaq National Market tier of The NASDAQ Stock MarketSM under the symbol: KTEC.